Blake Reads:Shadow of the Colossus
by Ghost Angel14
Summary: Ozpin knew what it was like to be burdened by ones past. That's why he saw it immediately on Blake. He wanted to help, but he knew how she was. She'd rather eat a Grimm then have others shoulder her problems. In a way he could respect that, but still...he couldn't do nothing. So he decided to help her in the most subtle way possible;he'd loan her a book.
1. A Recommendation

Chapter 1

 **So I've read a few of the SOTC fics and some of those were really awesome. And that made me think, somebody has to do a fic where they play the game! But nobody did...which made me sad. So I figured I might as well take up this honor and give it a try. But what character did I know that would wanna do this. I just so happened to be watching RWBY at the time and I realised, why not Blake!**

 **Beacon's resident bookworm loves a good story and the plot behind this game is phenomenal so, yeah let's do it!**

 **Obviously Blake isn't a gamer so that's why I will be doing my best to convert the game to Novel form. I've gotten a good enough idea and I think I know where to take this. It won't follow canon however so I guess this is an AU but if I have to put a time period on this, I'd say about the beginning of Volume 2.**

 **Alright enough talk, let's get down to it!**

 **Disclaimer:RWBY is owned and created by Rooster Teeth and Shadow of the Colossus is owned and made by Sony and Team ICO.**

'Normal Speech'

' _Thoughts'_

' **Reading'**

X.x.X.x.X.x

Blake couldn't sleep. Plain and simple. She just couldn't bring herself to shut her eyes and let her mind sink in on itself to recharge and relax. It wasn't that she was suffering from insomnia but she was just too troubled to sleep.

With the back of her head rested on her pillow, Blake could only stare straight up to the bed, miraculously held up between the legs by small stacks of books, the sound of Yang's loud snoring coming from on top of the mattress. She could hear Ruby's soft snores coming from her right as the young girl seemed to have picked up her own habit of sawing logs. Weiss lay still and quiet on the lower bunk, sleeping peacefully like the princess she was raised to be. Although slightly distracting, the girls loud sleeping habits weren't what was bothering her-in fact it was actually a good background noise-she was just...having one of her nights again.

She promised herself that when she came to Beacon, she was changing herself, that she would do her best to make up for all the wrong she'd done in her past. She wanted to forget everything that she'd ever done but she learned too soon that it wasn't possible. She'd never be able to rid herself of all the guilt, no matter what she did she'd always remember the horrible crimes she committed, all the people she hurt...she wished she could undo so much. Just thinking about it caused a dull and painful ache to pound in her heart. But, that was the point of coming here, to start over! To make a better life for herself and further her goals of equality amongst humans and Faunus. She just...she just wanted a second chance. Was that so wrong? So why was it so hard for her to just move on, she wanted this more than anything, so why did she feel so...empty? She already knew the answer.

' _Adam._ 'She thought morosely.

Her best friend and mentor. The one who taught her everything she knew about combat and stealth, The one she walked that dark road with. He was everything she strived to be at the time. Determined, fearless, and willing to fight for what he believed in. She looked up to him, wanted to be like him in every way possible. He was a great man, somebody she'll never forget, but the Adam she knew was gone.

Like the cause of the White Fang, at first he was peaceful and patient, wanted nothing but to coexist and live peacefully with humans. But overtime, when the peace and negotiating wasn't working, he started to get impatient. And that impatience eventually led to anger. He was quickly becoming fed up with being ignored and pushed around without getting anywhere. He didn't smile as much anymore and his face was set more in a permanent frown or scowl. He looked like he was ready to snap on anyone and anything and she was actually afraid to approach him on some instances.

Then the new leader took over and that's when things really changed. They demanded that they start using new tactics, more aggressive means as to get the people's attention and make their voices heard. If a soft voice and a gentle hand wouldn't get their attention, then maybe a loud voice and a threatening hold would. She was reluctant to do this, but Adam...he was more than willing and eager to start. That should of been a warning sign for her, but she just blindly followed him into this new way of life, and she paid for it.

What were once peaceful sit-ins and protests became violent riots and destructive acts of vandalism. It was no longer about getting respect through peace, but through fear instead. What was worse however, was that it was working. Slowly but surely, Faunus were getting the privileges and treatment they wanted, but at the cost of people being afraid of them.

This wasn't what she wanted, not for the Faunus, not for herself, and especially not for Adam.

The bed groaned as she turned onto her side, her fingers digging into the pillow in a white knuckled grip.

Adam. His anger and resentment towards humans only seemed to flourish under the new leader's could see just how much he enjoyed venting his deep seeded hatred in a way he thoughts was actually helping his people. In his mind, he was a hero, but Blake could see what he was really becoming;he was turning into a monster. Wanting to do more and more harm to humans for no real reason at all. He looked for any reason he could to retaliate against them. Blake felt guilty for this too. She saw and recognized that he was spiraling downward and yet...she didn't do anything. She didn't try to stop him or calm him down, she just let him completely envelop himself in his new world. Maybe if she had said or done something...he wouldn't be…

"Oh Adam,"She cried into her pillow.

She felt her guilt constrict her torso and her eyes started to sting. How could she not have done anything? Why did she have to ignore the issue?

Why did she run?

She was a nothing but a coward. That's why she always ran.

Biting her lip to keep from it trembling Blake turned her face into the pillow and silently sobbed.

" _Move up to the next car. I'll set the charges._ "

" _What about the crew members?_ "

" _What about them?_ "

Her breath hitched. It's not fair...it's just not fair...why can't she just have her friend back? Whatever that THING was, it wasn't Adam. At least not anymore. She felt a slow burn of anger start to build inside her chest. It was all those ignorant human's fault! They took him from her...no that's not right. She took a few a moment to compose herself and felt the fire inside flicker and slowly die.

Blake wasn't racist, but it was hard not to give into those feelings sometimes. A life of dealing with hatred and prejudice gave you a lot of tolerance for it, but emotions can flare from time to time and that could lead to thoughts she didn't mean. She just had to remember, she has a team, a human team, who were like a second family to her. And they were nothing like what the White Fang would have others think. They didn't deserve that hatred. Not even Weiss who was actually trying to be more lenient in her opinion. Plus it'd be hypocritical of somebody who was fighting for equality to be racist. After a few minutes of letting her inner turmoil out she lifted her face from her pillow and wiped her eyes of the leftover tears.

She cast a look around the room and sighed when she saw that the clock on top of her dresser read 3:20. She should really try to get some sleep. Flipping her pillow over to the dry side she laid her head back down and was embraced by the cool pressure of the other side of the pillow. The cold embrace helping to lull her mind into submission.

' _Adam, i'm sorry I didn't save you_ ,'She thought drowsily while resisting how heavy her eyes felt.' _But I can't let you continue with all this madness. So I promise, I WILL stop you. No matter what._ ' With those final thoughts her eyes closed and with no fight left in her, she was finally able to sleep.

 **Morning**

The morning came all too soon in Blake's opinion. But that could be because she stayed up for most of the night. It's a good thing that today was Sunday and she didn't have to get up for classes. If she did, she'd probably be so tired and grumpy that she'd have to deal with Yang making angry cat puns at her expense. And on no occasion was she in the mood to deal with those. So with her face mostly covered by her sheets, she continued to lay in her bed with her eyes sealed tight in an attempt to get some extra rest.

"Yang Xiao Long, get out of the bathroom this instant!"

Her brow twitched as she realized that it might be a little more challenging than she thought.

"Sorry Weiss, can't hear you over the sound of my hairdryer!"

With a grit of her teeth she came to the understanding that it was just downright impossible. She lifted her head to glare at the source of the disturbance and saw Weiss standing in her nightgown in front of the bathroom door with a more than perturbed look on her face. Apparently Weiss wasn't fast enough to get to the bathroom before Yang, who was notorious for occupying the bathroom the longest out of all of them. It was an unspoken rule in team RWBY that if you want to use the bathroom at all in the morning, you had, absolutely **HAD** to get in the bathroom before Yang. Unfortunately for Weiss, she did not.

"You've been in there for almost two hours now! Other people have to use the bathroom too!"Weiss ranted.

"Ya snooze ya lose Weiss!"Yang teased.

Weiss growled in barely restrained anger at her obnoxious teammate and rounded on the leader of the team. Ruby, who was just sitting and watching the spectacle unfold, jumped to have her partner's cold blue eyes suddenly turn to her.

"Ruby, get her out of there!"Weiss commanded.

"Why do I have to do it?"She whined from her place on the top bunk.

"Because she's your sister and you're team leader! Now do your job and get your sister out of the bathroom!"

"But-"

"Do it!"

With a dramatic sigh, the girl dropped down from her bed and trudged over to the door. And not for the first time, Blake had to wonder who was the real leader of this team. When Ruby stood in front of the door she raised a fist and knocked loudly."Yang, you need to get out of the bathroom!"She called.

"Don't wanna~"She sang back.

Turning to Weiss the youngest member shrugged.

"I tried."

Weiss visibly seethed in fury at this.

Blake rolled her eyes at the display and sat up in her bed. Ruby, seeing Blake rise, smiled and waved.

"Morning Blake, sleep okay?"

"I guess,"She lied while wiping her eyes.

"You guess?"Weiss said with a raised brow,"You should have. It's nearly ten o'clock. You slept in."

Blake's eyes widened a little at this. A glance at the clock confirmed that it was 9:51 AM. She had gotten about seven hours of sleep, and it only felt like two minutes, please don't let this be a precursor to how the day is gonna be.

"Yang get out!"Weiss roared.

"Why don't you make me snow queen!"

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard what I said!"

"Don't make me bust this door down!"

"Believe me Weiss, I would LOVE to see you try."

"..."Blake could only stare with a tired expression as her teammates continued to argue from both sides of the bathroom and Ruby tried her best to calm down the two girls.

" _Oh yeah_ ,"She thought in dismay," _It's gonna be one of those days_."

 **Beacon Hallways**

It was about another hour before they actually left the room. Yang had gotten out of the bathroom about twenty minutes later and miraculously they had gotten Weiss to not murder her as soon as she stepped out. Though that did not stop the minute long earful that Yang received from the heiress. She just bore all of this with a smile on her face that said she held no regrets for her actions. And Blake believed she didn't. After everyone else's brief bathroom time, they left and made their way to the cafeteria to grab whatever they could for breakfast. All the while Weiss glaring daggers into Yang's' head. The blonde girl would often turn around and smile with a teasing wink, and that only seemed to sharpen Weiss's glares even more. Blake could only sigh at the behavior.

After her shower she had woken up a little more and did her best to make it look like she hadn't cried herself to sleep the previous night. She did her best to hide it from her teammates, and it looked like nobody noticed, but she knew her team enough to realize that if they wanted to call her out on it, then that means that they would do it on their own time. Luckily that means no where in public.

She walked in the back of the group, mindlessly keeping pace with the three girls in front of her as they talked among each other, and she was left alone with her thoughts. But unfortunately all she could think about was last night.

" _I promise, I will stop you_."

Her own words echoed in her head as she remembered her solemn vow.

She felt her mood start to drop as her eyes lowered to the ground and she could only stare at her team's shoes as they continued their fast pace. In all her life Blake had done some horrible things. Some she doesn't ever want to think about anymore, but she hasn't ever crossed that line. She's fought in countless battles against Grimm, robots, man and faunus alike, but she never actually killed anyone before. She felt herself shudder at the thought of it. She had done her absolute best to avoid taking that step into the abyss. For that, truly, can never be undone. But Adam…

He done it more times than she cared to know, and she just turned her head. If she was gonna face him someday, then she needed to cross that line. She needed to fall into the abyss. He was too far gone, the old Adam was dead and buried, he would never change himself. He'd never take to being arrested and held captive, he would go down fighting to the last breath. Even though he changed, he was still stubborn.

It was her fault that he was like this now, she wasn't a good friend and wasn't there for him so nobody was there to stop him from being consumed in his own emotions. She had to make up for that, she had to make things right again. And there was only one way to do this...she had to kill Adam.

The old Adam would be sickened and appalled at what he had become, he'd probably be begging Blake to end him. But could she really do it? Could she really look her old friend in the eye and take his life? Would she be ready, or even able to stand against him? Her fists clenched at her sides and her eyes narrowed. She seethed at her weakness, self-hatred polluted her heart and a heavy feeling dropped into her stomach. How would she be able to raise a hand against her once close friend? She'd probably be too afraid, she'd probably run. Like she always did.

"Blake!"

She started and looked up.

Three pairs of eyes were staring at her cautiously.

"You okay there partner?"Yang asked."You looked like somebody slapped you in the face and ran away laughing."

Seeing that her team was worried about her she quickly schooled her feature and relaxed her tense muscles.

"Yeah i'm okay,"She lied again,"I'm just still tired, I...had a rough night is all."

"Are you sure?"Ruby asked with a crinkled brow.

"Yeah, it's nothing."She assured.

They regarded her a little longer, Weiss being the most scrutinous, before seeming to accept the excuse.

"Well that's a relief,"Yang chuckled,"It's dangerous to be around a grumpy cat ya know. But i'm glad everything's alright MEOW! Get it, eh eh~"

All of them groaned, but none louder than Blake.

"Yang, you make me embarrassed to say we're sisters sometimes."Ruby lamented with a hand over her face.

"Aww I love you too sis!"Yang cooed with glomping her sister in a tight hug.

"Yang! Choking! Not breathing!"She croaked.

Weiss shook her head in disappointment,"I feel bad for you sometimes Ruby. I really do."

Dropping her sister, who immediately gulped in entire lungfuls of air, Yang turned to the young Schnee and smiled mischievously.

"And I love you too Weiss!"She said while opening her arms for a big squeeze.

"N-no, stand back!"Weiss stuttered while backing away.

"Don't fight it Weiss, you know you want it,"

"That sounded wrong!"

"I know~"

"No!"

Ruby and Blake were then treated to the sight of a Yang chasing Weiss around the hallway with her arms open and inviting for a big bear hug, but Weiss demonstrated her nimble and quick abilities as she did her best to avoid the loving wrath of the boisterous blonde and her crushing arms.

"Get away from me!"

"Just one hug!"

"Don't you dare touch me!"

"I just wanna be loved!"

"Who do you think is gonna give in first?"Ruby whispered as she leaned over to Blake.

"Honestly?"Blake said while crossing her arms,"It could go either way. Yang really wants that hug. But Weiss won't go down easily."

"You can do it Weiss!"Ruby cheered for her partner,"Just keep running, don't give up!"

"Don't just stand there you dunce help me!"Weiss cried.

"I already got my hug today sorry, but you can make it, I have faith in you!"She smiled with a thumbs up.

"Ruby!"Weiss screamed in dismay.

Blake looked on the strange display of her teammates just being themselves and felt all her previous negativity evaporate and be filled with a light feeling of cheer and happiness. A genuine smile appeared on her face and she felt a weight lift from her shoulders. This is what she was fighting for, what she was protecting. Her team shouldn't have to suffer for her mistakes. And with that resolve, she used her determination to harden her heart and made her mission all the clearer. She would stop Adam, for her team, for herself, and for Adam's memory.

"Yang, this is my final warning!"Weiss threatened as she laid a hand on her dust rapier.

"I will get that hug Weiss, even if I have to fight you for it!"Yang grinned as she lifted her fists into a loose boxing stance.

"I would kindly ask you all, if you wish to settle a dispute, to take it out in combat class and not my clean hallways."

They were interrupted in their petty squabble by the distinguished and refined voice of the headmaster of Beacon itself, Ozpin.

The older gentleman stood before the all girls team, one hand on his cane, the other holding a mug of fresh coffee, clad in his pristine black suit and green undershirt. His neck garbed in a forest green scarf and his light green eyes partially obscured by a pair of dark circular glasses. Though they did little to hide the raised eyebrow and slightly disapproving look he was giving them.

Weiss scrambled back and straightened her spine stiffly. She looked nervous and a little guilty at the prospect of being scolded by the headmaster himself. While Yang simply put down her fists and looked completely calm about the situation.

"I trust that everything is okay here,"Ozpin said with a glance to all of them.

"Yeah everything's fine,"Yang smiled with a dismissive wave,"We're just messing around."

"I see,"Ozpin said before smiling slightly,"While I don't necessarily mind my students having their own fun, I ask that you don't do it in the halls. Besides, there isn't much fun to be had in these boring halls anyway."

"Don't worry sir,"Weiss assured,"It won't happen again."

"Yep,"Yang agreed,"Especially if Weiss just lets me get my hugs from now on."

Weiss shot the blonde an irritated glance.

"Is that what this is all about?"Ozpin asked.

"Uh-"

"Yep, she wouldn't let me have a hug, not even a little one."

"Is this true?"He asked while turning his gaze to Weiss.

"It sure is!"Ruby exclaimed.

"Ruby stay out of this!"Weiss growled.

"Well miss Schnee?"Ozpin inquired with a raised brow.

"Um...well...maybe a little."She said unsurely.

"Hm,"He said before taking a quick sip of his coffee.

"Miss Schnee,"He addressed,"I encourage my students to become close to their teams, almost like siblings. And for you to actively resist attempts to do so i'm afraid simply won't do,".

"But-"Weiss squeaked weakly.

"I think this can be rectified rather quickly if you oblige miss Xiao Long in allowing her just one hug."

Weiss could only stare at the headmaster in disbelief. She glanced to her side and saw Yang giving her a smile that looked like it was better suited for a gremlin.

She turned back to Ozpin, dread building in her stomach.

"Y-you're serious?"She stuttered.

"Most serious in fact,"He said, though the smile he held suggested otherwise,"Now, please hurry miss Schnee, we don't have all day."

Weiss glanced between Oz and Yang frequently as if mentally battling herself for how she should respond. But it seemed the part too afraid to refuse an order from the headmaster won out and with a heavy sigh turned to the smug face of Yang.

Opening her arms widely, Yang gestured for Weiss to step forward.

Weiss winced, as if doing the the action would physically harm her. She cast a look to her other teammates hoping for some help. But Ruby only smiled and gave another thumbs up while Blake was content to smile and look on in expectancy.

Internally grumbling, Weiss stepped into the young kick boxer's arms and instantly felt the constricting feeling of Yang's powerful hold around her abdomen and her feet leaving the floor.

"Ohhhh yeah, there it is, ya feelin the Love Weiss?"Yang beamed.

"I'm feeling my lungs collapse."Weiss grunted in pain.

This continued for a few more seconds before Ozpin chimed in,"That's enough miss Xiao Long."

And suddenly Weiss was dropped to the ground taking in generous amounts of air.

"There, that wasn't so bad was it?"Yang said with her teasing smile.

A cold death glare was what she received for her troubles.

A glare that was also shared with Ruby when she started to giggle uncontrollably at the poor girl's expense.

"Alright now,"Ozpin said with a good natured laugh,"Let's all calm down. How are you girls?"

"Good!"Ruby chirped.

"Great!"Yang beamed.

"Besides a little ruffled, I am doing well."Weiss grumbled while dusting herself off.

"Alright."Blake said.

Ozpin nodded.

"That's good to hear. I was just taking a walk around the campus for a bit of exercise, too much paperwork can be hazardous for one's health after all,"The headmaster joked.

"I believe it,"Yang said,"We have Oobleck as a professor remember?"

"Oh come now,"Weiss admonished,"It isn't that bad."

"It really is Weiss. He assigns an essay every other class."Yang deadpanned.

"It could be worse,"She replied.

"No it couldn't."Ruby stated.

"Quiet you!"Weiss rounded on Ruby with a miffed expression on her face.

"What did I do?!"She asked incredulously while holding her hands up placatingly.

"Don't you even start!"Weiss exclaimed,"You have been a horrible partner as of late! You haven't been helping me at all!"

"B-but,"She started,"I can't choose sides, i'm the team leader, i'm supposed to be neutral!"

"Oh really? Then how come you cheered for me to escape but didn't help me when I had to submit myself to your sister's bone crushing bear hugs?"

"Don't act like you didn't like it,"Yang teased.

"And you! I have just about had it with you today! First it was you with the bathroom and now you nearly break my ribs with your unbearable strength!"

"And it's still early,"Yang said with a bright grin.

Ozpin looked on in bemusement as the three girls dissolved into another argument amongst each other. He could tell that they held no real anger or malice, and it was rather amusing to hear them argue amongst themselves for such a trivial manner.

He turned his eyes to the final member of team RWBY and he frowned when he noticed that she had lowered her head down and her eyes seemed to be vacant as if she was a thousand miles away. Ozpin recognized that look. Having worked with huntsman and being one himself a long time ago, he learned a lot of things in his life. Many of them from mistakes he's made himself. So he was very familiar with that look on her face, he himself had worn it a great many times. It was a look of deep contemplation, not just an internal debate however, but a war with your very soul itself.

He had also noticed her tired appearance, the slight slouch in her shoulders and the almost unnoticeable tilt to her stance. As if holding herself up was a bit of a challenge.

To anyone else she seemed completely normal, but any seasoned huntsman worth their salt would recognize her fatigue from a mile away. He felt a brief stab of worry in his stomach and he decided to act upon it.

"If you are all finished!"He called over their argument. Seeing he had their attention, even Blake's, he continued,"I suggest you make your way to the cafeteria. Breakfast i'm sure is long over but I am pretty sure that lunch will start soon enough."

The rumbling of stomachs was all the answer needed.

The culprits looked down and blushed in embarrassment and Ozpin barely held in a chuckle. Just as they made to leave he stopped them,"Miss Belladonna, I would like a word with you if you don't mind."

Blake jumped at being called out and gave the headmaster a cautious look as if she wanted to refuse but didn't know how to word it.

"It will only be a minute I assure you."He promised. She still seemed unsure but nodded regardless.

He was about to speak when he was made aware that the rest of team RWBY was still in the vicinity.

"If you'll excuse us,"Ozpin said as he turned to them,"I wish to speak to miss Belladonna alone."

They looked apprehensive about the whole thing but Blake spoke up.

"It's okay,"She said,"I'll meet you guys there. I won't be long."

The three looked between each other before slowly turning and walking in the direction of the mess hall.

Ozpin waited for a bit to assure that they were perfectly out of earshot before turning to the black themed girl. She looked nervous as he stared into her amber eyes, probably a little unnerved at having to talk to the headmaster of the school.

"You have a very good team miss Belladonna. I hope you realize this."He stared.

The girl relaxed a little at the easy topic."Yeah, I do. They may drive me crazy sometimes, but I wouldn't trade them for anything."

Ozpin nodded at her answer.

Gesturing for her to follow him, Ozpin lead her a little ways down the hall to a wide cushioned seat in front of a tall window.

He took a seat at one end and waited for Blake to sit opposite of him.

Blake sat at the other end of the seat, her back straight and her fingers clasped on her lap.

"You have no reason to be so tense miss Belladonna. You are not in trouble."He calmed.

"Then why am I here?"She questioned.

"Is it so wrong for me to simply want to speak with my students?"

She remained silent.

" _Alright then,_ "Ozpin thought unsurely.

"So,"He began,"How are you doing miss Belladonna?"

"I'm doing alright sir."She said stiffly.

He nodded, but he already knew that it was a lie. Nevertheless, he pressed on.

"I hope that you are doing ok after that little...incident you had at the end of last semester."

Blake tensed a little more at that. The incident that he was referring too was when she had her argument with Weiss and ended up running away from her team. That whole thing had spiraled out of control when she ended up meeting the young and playful monkey Faunus Sun Wukong who had ended up spending two days with her and keeping her company. From him she learned of a potential dust robbery that would take place at the docks and that it might've been the White Fang. So after a long stake out they were rewarded with the proof that it was indeed the Fang committing the dust robberies and what was worse was that it was being orchestrated by notorious criminal Roman Torchwick. Acting on impulse, Blake jumped into the middle of the crime and instigated a fight. With Sun as her backup they held them off for as long as they could but Torchwick was skilled and cunning and eventually got the upper hand on them. The next part was fuzzy to her, but Blake knew Ruby showed up with that strange girl Penny who, through some means, was able to finish off the remainder of the White Fang's forces and even took down a few bullheads.

But after everything was said and done, the police arrived and the White Fang grunts were arrested, unfortunately however, Torchwick escaped as soon as he arrived. Yang and Weiss showed up as well and once the team was reunited and they soon made up for the harsh words that were spoken. It was a stressful experience, but at the end of it, she received the acceptance she was so afraid she'd never get. She supposed that it was all worth it in the end.

Realizing she was keeping the headmaster wait she stuttered out a quick,"Y-yes sir!"

Ozpin however noticed her pause and hesitation, he figured that whatever was troubling her had to be tied to her past. He knew from the first moment she applied for a spot in the school that she had a troubled upbringing, but he never could've guessed what she'd been through. Born into a world that hated and feared her, she fought for what was right, and then was turned into a something she wasn't to get what she sought after. Ozpin had always kept an eye out for her just in case her past started to catch up to her and she couldn't deal with it on her own.

Usually he'd allow her team to try and help her, but miss Belladonna was good at hiding how she was really feeling. But not good enough to hide from him.

"Have you been sleeping alright?"He asked for her reaction.

Blake started again and looked away from him.

"I've...had a few rough nights,"She mumbled,"But it's nothing serious!"

Ozpin raised his eyebrow.

"I see. It's not serious, that's why you have slight bags under your eyes. Or that you're tense and have to visibly try to keep standing."

Blake's heart stopped and her eyes visibly widened.

"I'm a little more observant than your teammates miss Belladonna,"He informed,"You'll have to do better if you want to fool a huntsman of my age."

Leaning forward a little, he looked her straight in the eyes and said,"Now then, I would appreciate if you started telling me the truth, so I might be of some help to you in anyway possible."

Blake felt her heartbeat speed up. She had not expected the him to see through her so easily, and so in a way, she was completely vulnerable to him. Blake was used to being able to hide herself from others, being able to conceal everything about herself. But Ozpin...he could always see her, no matter how good her defences were.

That's why she always felt slightly uncomfortable around him, he was the only one who knew her completely.

Swallowing nervously she tried to meet his eyes but was having trouble looking into his soul piercing gaze.

"I understand if this makes you uneasy,"He said,"But if I can't trust you to open up to your team, then I am your next best option. Now please, Blake, will you tell me what is bothering you?"

Some of the tension left at hearing how calm and patient he was being with her, and so she steeled her resolve a little and spoke softly,"I...I've been having some trouble sleeping these past few days."

His silence told her to continue.

"Not that I have insomnia or anything, I guess I've just been keeping myself awake."

"Why is that?"He asked calmly.

She took a few seconds to answer,"...I've just been thinking...about...all the things I've done."

He nodded in understanding.

"I came here looking for a new chance,"She said with a sad frown,"And I feel like i'm slowly earning that, but that doesn't excuse all the things I've been involved in. My history with the White Fang, it still exists. And it always will."

She stopped to take a breath when she heard her voice start to quiver.

Ozpin just watched with a neutral expression and let her compose herself.

Blake took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes when she felt them start to tear up again.

"It-it feels like I don't deserve to be here. Like I've had it too easy here,"She whimpered,"How can I have so much? I have a team that loves me, and a place to sleep and feel safe. It's not right."

Her face started to crumple and she buried her face in her hands to hide her grief.

"I should be able to move on right?"Came her muffled sob,"I should be able to just go on with my life. But I can't...I just can't."

Ozpin, throughout her confessions, had stared at her calmly, but in seeing her break down, his eyes shown with pity and he frowned at her torment.

Sniffling she put her hands down and just let her tears run down her face.

"All I've done is run away from my problems. I ran away from my team, the White Fang, even Ad…"She stopped.

Ozpin sat up.

"You mean to say Adam Taurus, don't you?"

Her silence spoke volumes.

"I understand you two were partners at one point, but I have a feeling that it was a little more than that,"Ozpin said.

Blake nodded slowly.

"He was my mentor. And my best friend."

Ozpin waited for her to continue.

"We were close in the White Fang,"She said sadly,"He taught me a lot about combat and stealth. We supported and helped each other. We were almost a couple at one point."

"Do you feel guilty about leaving him behind?"He inquired.

Blake tensed. She felt her anger start to burn again, slowly but surely building into a raging fire.

With her teeth grit she remembered the monster that had replaced her best friend.

" _What about the crew members?_ "  
" _What about them?_ "

With her eyes alight with her fury she looked at Ozpin and said,"I don't regret it."

Ozpin was a little surprised, but didn't allow it to show.

"He was one of the main reasons I left,"She growled,"The Adam Taurus people see on the news, that's not the Adam I knew. He was nothing like that...thing!"

Oz had started to feel his heart rate pick up, that look in her eyes, he understood her feelings. And that's what scares him.

"It's my fault for not stopping him from going off the deep end,"Blake lamented."I wasn't there for him when he needed me, and I have to live with that. But i'm gonna make it right. I'm gonna stop him."

His heart stopped.

With his grip a little tighter on his mug he asked her,"And how do you intend to stop him?"

Blake stared straight through him, her eyes overshadowed with something dark and menacing, and in a light growl she replied,"By whatever means necessary."

Ozpin stared.

He matched her gaze in intensity and didn't avert his eyes from her.

" _Whatever means necessary_."

The words sounded off in his head. But they weren't her's.

He finally turned his eyes away and leaned his back against the cool glass window.

"Whatever means necessary,"He echoed in a hollow tone.

Blake watched the headmaster warily. Her words seemed to have deeply disturbed him in some way. She watched as he turned away from her and seemed to contemplate her statement.

"Professor?"She called nervously.

He didn't seem to hear here.

"Professor Ozpin,"She said a little louder.

Still nothing.

"Professor!"She said while placing a hand on his shoulder.

He acknowledged the touch by slowly moving his eyes down to her hand, the action seeming to almost robotic in nature, before moving his eyes back to the invisible point he had been staring at.

"You can go now miss Belladonna."He droned.

She was slightly put off by the tone of his voice but didn't refuse as she rose from her seat and walked away, casting him one last look before leaving.

And so, Ozpin was left alone, with nothing to occupy him but the thoughts in his head, and the ache in his heart.

 **Teacher's Lounge**

"Ah, there you are, I need you to sign a few things while you're here,"Glynda Goodwitch, the deputy headmistress of Beacon and right hand to Ozpin stated in a professional tone as she walked into the room.

She had been looking for Ozpin all morning to get him to get his signature on some important documents, and not finding him in his office she had come to look in the teacher's lounge.

"The order forms for the final exams have just been faxed to us, and it needs your signature to...what's wrong?"

As she walked up to him she noticed his posture, slouched forward with his hands clasped over his mouth, but the greatest clue was how vacant his eyes were. She'd worked with Ozpin long enough to recognize when he was in his moods, and it seemed like he was having one now.

"You have that same look about you that says I should be worried."She stated while eyeing him up and down.

"Did you get a call from the council?"She guessed.

He mutely shook his head no.

"Did James say he was coming over?"She tried.

He actually snickered and muttered,"I wish."

This actually surprised her. If whatever was going on was actually bad enough where he would rather deal with General Ironwood himself, then it really must be serious.

"Ok, now i'm really worried,"Glynda said as she sat across from him."What's the problem Ozpin? I haven't seen you like this for a while now."

The man sat back and slouched in his chair while smiling humorously.

"It has been a while since I've been like this hasn't it?"He asked rhetorically. He reached for his coffee and took a sip of his lukewarm beverage. It didn't matter that it had lost most of it's heat, he just needed a quick distraction from answering his assistant.

"Maybe that's an issue that should be rectified some time."He mumbled into his drink.

"Sir?"She asked with an inquisitive look.

"If only I could make up for lost time. Maybe if I had thought some things through more…"

"Ozpin, what is going on?"She asked forcefully.

His eyes were brought up to his deputy and into her exasperated yet concerned face. Her bright green eyes were locked onto his, studying and searching for the answer he wouldn't give her. If only it was so simple.

"Tell me Glynda,"He inquired,"How do you cope with everything?"

She raised a brow at his question.

"What do you mean?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his gray and unruly hair.

"How do you live with yourself? The job of the deputy to a prestigious school, being a huntress, and living with your mistakes. How do you do it?"

She blinked and looked at him strangely.

"That's a rather…"She began,"Unusual line of questioning."

He stared at her before looking to his side and muttering softly,"Yes, I suppose it is."

Glynda, having gotten fed up with his mood, sneered in anger and growled out,"Alright enough! If you are not going to tell me then just sign the forms so you can quit wasting both our times!"

Ozpin looked back at her, and seeing her face scrunched up in annoyance sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry,"He apologized,"I don't mean to make things difficult for you."

Glynda huffed.

"I know you don't, but that doesn't mean I enjoy just sitting here while you mope. I want to be of help, but if you won't let me, then I have no other reason to be here. Besides getting you to sign these papers that is."

He chuckled under his breath. Glynda was nothing if not honest, he had always appreciated that.

"I'm just concerned,"He started,"I had a rather...interesting conversation with a student and it left me a little...unhinged I suppose you could say."

"Really?"She asked incredulously,"What could a student of all people say to possibly be the cause of such a downtrodden reaction from you?"

"Whatever means necessary."

"What?"

"The student said, to make things right with their past, that they will do so, by whatever means necessary."

Glynda scrunched her brow in confusion,"While slightly off putting, I fail to see what could be the issue here."

Ozpin laughed, this time genuinely.

"You mean to tell me you don't remember how those very same words cost us a very generous amount of trouble a while ago? Especially when they have the same intention."

Glynda took a few seconds to think about his words before her eyes started to widen slightly, and she lifted a hand to her mouth in muted horror.

She looked Ozpin square in the face and spoke silently,"You don't honestly think that...a student would have the potential to…"

"No,"He said strongly,"Not as grand nor as disastrous. But they'd still go through with it. And then, they'd have to deal with their actions. They'd have to experience that same pain, everyday, for the rest of their life. And it would never fade...always just sitting in the back of their mind."He lowered his gaze to the tabletop. Glynda reached over and placed a comforting hand over his and gave a reassuring squeeze.

"So what are you going to do?"She asked him.

"What I cannot do is ignore this. You didn't see the conviction in their eyes. If this does not get resolved, and soon, then we will be having a repeat of all those years ago,"He said determinedly.

"And we would not want that,"Glynda agreed,"We have to be careful however, matters such as these hardly ever lead to a happy ending."

A happy ending…

Those were a rarity alone. Trying to find one in this was like looking for a needle in a mountain of hay. You'd be better off trying to find one in a storybook.

...wait.

"Hmmm,"He hummed aloud while holding his chin.

"Maybe it's best if I have a word with this student,"Glynda said as she looked to the side and started to formulate her own plan.

Book...story...happy ending…

"Have them attend a regular counseling session or something along those lines to keep an eye on them."

Book...ending…

"Ozpin, I'll need the name of this student you spoke of."

Book…

"Ozpin?"

His eyes widened.

" _Could it work?_ "He thought in as his heart kicked into overdrive." _To put my faith in something that could fail so easily would be a horrible mistake, but still, it might be a long shot, but it's worth a try at least._ "

"Ozpin!"He looked up to Glynda.

"I would like this student's name."She said.

Ozpin looked at her for a while before slowly shaking his head.

"No, no it's okay Glynda. I would like to handle this one alone."

She looked to him in disbelief.

"What? Sir with all due respect I think it would be better if you had some form of help on this matter."

He shook his head again.

"I appreciate the concern Glynda,"He said while sitting up in his chair, his conviction starting to grow."But I think it would be better if I was the one to do this. They confided in me, and I have already said too much to you as it is. I don't want to betray their trust anymore than I have too."

"B-but sir!"She stammered,"If this merits the concern you expressed earlier than I really must insist-"

"No thank you Glynda,"He said while standing with the use of his cane."I believe I have an idea. It's risky, but if done right, then I believe it could work."

He started to walk to the door while Glynda continued to try and formulate a way to make him see differently. Seeing him reach the door she called,"Wait!"

Ozpin glanced over his shoulder to look at her.

"Ok,"She sighed,"I'll trust you. But please, if you think you need a hand in anything, then don't hesitate to call for me."

"I never do."He said with a smile. And with that, he left the lounge internally praying for his plan to bear fruit.

 **Next Morning:Beacon Cafeteria**

She had met up with her team yesterday, soon after leaving behind professor Ozpin and they had immediately taken to asking what he wanted.

So for once, she told the truth.

'He was just concerned because I seemed tired.' Is what she said. And while it wasn't technically the whole truth, it was the truth nonetheless. So she didn't have to worry about her team knowing about her inner turmoil. Having a professor, the headmaster at that, knowing was more than enough for her taste. But still, she couldn't help but think back to his reaction.

" _By whatever means necessary._ "

It was like as soon as she said that, he'd simply shut down on himself. His eyes looked so empty that she was genuinely worried for him. She didn't mean to upset him, but he had asked what she would do and so she told him. If he didn't like his answer then that was his business.

Shaking her thoughts away, she brought her mind back to the present.

Currently, her and her team were sitting with team JNPR for breakfast in the mess hall.

After yesterday's bathroom disaster, Weiss made sure all of them were in and out of the bathroom in less than half an hour. Surprisingly, she was even able to do this with Yang. She had figured her blonde partner would give the young heiress the most trouble but was questionably lenient simply stating that,"It'd be too easy, if I wanna bother Weiss, I'll do it on my own terms, thank you very much!"

While crude and somewhat immoral, it was apparently enough of a reason for the girl. Nobody particularly minded.

And since they were early today, they were able to catch team JNPR on their way out and join them for breakfast.

"You actually took two hours in the bathroom!"Jaune exclaimed in shock.

"You better believe it vomit boy,"Yang said with a smile.

Jaune shook his head with a disappointed frown.

"You're just as bad as my older sisters. Loud, tells corny jokes, and takes forever in the bathroom."

"Sounds like my kinda people,"Yang quipped with a wink.

"It will be a cold day in hell before I allow you to meet them."Jaune deadpanned.

"It's about to get very chilly soon than."Yang smirked at the challenge.

"Would you let us visit your house Jaune?"Ruby asked with an excited gleam in her eyes."I don't really get to go to my friend's houses often."

"Maybe,"Jaune said with a smile,"I'd need to check with my folks first. We have a big family so we have a lot of room. I'd be a pretty good place for a sleepover."

"Oooh!"Nora cheered,"Did you hear that Ren? We get to go over to Jaune's house!"

"No, what I heard was that he had to ask his parents first,"The green garbed boy said calmly.

"Just think, we get to know our noble leader's origins!"

"Nora, he has to get permission first."

"I'll bet it's a castle where an army of shining knights train to fight dragons and rescue damsels in distress!"

"...you're having a selective hearing episode aren't you?"

"Jaune!"She yelled while turning to the startled boy,"When can we expect to be welcome?"

Blake rolled her eyes and laughed quietly at her friends interaction.

"Nora, we have to give Jaune time to check and see if we would be allowed to come over first."Pyrrha said patiently to her overly excited teammate.

Nora looked at her for a few seconds before gasping and nodding with secretive smile.

"Ohhh I get it~"Nora giggled,"You need time to prepare before meeting the parents, good idea Pyrrha."

Pyrrha's cheeks gained a healthy glow as she tried to stutter out her denials of the accusation.

"Eh you guys have nothing to worry about,"Jaune said with a dismissive wave,"My parents are chill. I'm sure they'll like you all just fine."

And like always, Jaune it seemed was completely unaware as to what was actually going on around him. Poor Pyrrha.

A sudden chime grabbed everyone's attention.

They all look to Blake as the sound appears to be coming from her. Blake reached into her pocket and pulled out her scroll and slid it open to see that she received a message. After reading a few lines, Blake's eyes widened a fraction.

"Who's it from?"Ruby asked while trying to peak over the girl's shoulder.

"It's from professor Ozpin,"She answered,"He wants me to come up to his office."

"Really, why?"The youngest member said.

"It doesn't say."

"Is everything alright?"Pyrrha asked with a worried face.

"Yes Blake, is everything alright?"Weiss echoed with a veil of suspicion in her voice. Looks like she didn't fool her as well as she thought she did.

"I believe so,"She said while keeping her face calm.

"You aren't in trouble are you?"Ren inquired.

"You are aren't you?"Nora gasped,"What did you do? Did you cheat on a test? Did you break somebody's legs in a fit of rage? Oh! No no don't tell me, you broke into the kitchen and hijacked a whole crate of syrup to feed your raging sugar addiction!"

All at the table were silent and looked at Nora with wary eyes.

"Uhhh Nora,"Ren spoke up after a pause,"You did that last one."

Nora gasped again with an affronted look on her face.

"Lies! Scandal! Tabloid rumors! I demand proof, I demand evidence!"

Ren simply lifted a black eyebrow and with a glance under the table he saw an entire crate of maple syrup right next to the pink valkyries legs.

"Right,"Ren drawled.

"Guys, it's fine I promise."Blake assured them as she stood up."I'll just go see what he wants real quick and be right back. It won't take long I promise."

Seeing her team try to interject she held up a hand to silence them.

"Just trust me okay?"She said with a smile. Blake knew perfectly well of the irony in the statement.

Her team relented shortly after and she was glad to be rid of the worried glances she was receiving once more as she made her way out of the caff.

 **Elevator**

It wasn't until Blake actually got in the elevator that she felt herself start to get nervous. If he was calling her in for what they talked about yesterday than Blake was starting to regret opening her mouth to the man. In all honesty, she felt it was easier to confide in him because he was an outside voice, somebody who she wasn't particularly close with and knew that he wasn't there to help but just listen. That's why it was easier to talk to strangers. Or so she had thought.

The ding of the elevator sounded as soon as she reached the top floor to Ozpin's office. The doors slid open.

"Ah miss Belladonna,"Ozpin said when he saw her."Please come in and take a seat."

She calmly walked over to his desk, taking a second to look up as the clock gears ticked and spun to their own rhythm. The sound was strangely calming.

She took a seat in front of his desk and waited for him to start.

Ozpin sat straight in his seat with a calm and inviting smile on his face. He could see that the girl was still nervous however, she always was when she was around him. But now wasn't the time to think on that, he got her here, now it's time for the next step.

"I'm sorry for calling you away from your own team once more miss Belladonna but I had something I needed to discuss with you,"He said.

"Is this about yesterday?"She asked getting straight to the point.

Ozpin paused.

"Because if it is,"She continued,"Then let me save you the trouble. I understand if you're worried about my intentions, but I promise, I won't bring my team into this. It's my problem, and I'll handle it."

Ozpin waited a few seconds before replying,"While that does ease my worries just a bit, I feel the need to ask;are you prepared to go through with it? If you were to encounter Taurus today, would you be able to go through with what you told me?"

The question caused Blake to stop and think about her answer.

She played the scenario over and over again last night. Every time she would imagine herself standing over him, her sword pressed against his neck, only the slightest flick of her wrist would be the end of it, and she remembered the conviction she felt, the anger and rage as she stood over him. It was the drive she needed to end it.

"Yes."She said resolutely with her heart pounding in her ears.

"And you believe that is the right course of action?"

"Yes."

Ozpin leaned forward,"And you don't believe their is any other way? Nothing else to be done?"

His question confused her, but she stayed strong.

"Yes."

He slowly nodded in understanding.

He spent the next better part of a minute just staring at Blake with a calculating look in his eye. Blake had started to feel uncomfortable with how intently he was staring at her.

"Uhhh profes-"

"Do you fancy yourself a reader miss Belladonna?"

She felt the proverbial record screech to a halt in her mind.

"Huh?"She said with a raised brow.

"You like to read, don't you?"

"Umm...yes."

"Splendid,"He said with a smile,"Then I believe you will like what I have to show you next."

He stood up and walked over to the wall to his right.

He lifted a hand and placed his hand against it. Then, surprisingly, a blue light outlined his hand as it scanned his fingerprints. Taking his hand down, a small mike opened up in front of his mouth.

" _Pass code required_." A computerized voice female voice droned.

Clearing his throat he leaned in and whispered,"Emerald City."

" _Pass code accepted._ "

With that, the mike disappeared and two doors separated and pulled apart to show the contents inside.

Blake's eyes widened and she blinked in confusion to see that behind the doors was a metal book shelf completely filled with thick leather bound books.

She got up and walked to stand next to him to get a better look at the collection.

"I like to enjoy a good read every now and then as well,"Ozpin said as he looked over his shelf proudly."I don't get a lot of time to do so i'm afraid, so I have to do so whenever I can."

He cast her a look.

"This is my personal collection. I'm quite proud of all the books I've gathered over the years. Each one is very dear to me in it's own special way."

Blake looked as he pointed to various books.

"Some are very riveting biographies, others deep philosophical wonderings, some sprinklings of fiction and fairy tails. It's actually quite diverse."

Blake nodded,"It's...impressive."

"Thank you,"He smiled,"And since you yourself appreciate good literature as much as I do, you are welcome to it whenever you wish."

She blinked in surprise.

"Are you sure?"She asked incredulously.

"Absolutely, in fact, do you mind if I give you a recommendation?"

"Uh, no go ahead."

Ozpin nodded and ran his fingers around the top shelf.

"You'll have to forgive me however,"He said in his search,"I'm afraid I don't have any of the more...mature novels I've heard you like to indulge in."

Blake felt her entire body heat up in embarrassment and mentally reminded herself that she still needed to kill Yang for leaking that out publicly.

His hand slid to a stop when he reached a black book between two books titled **The Last Guardian** & **Beyond Two Souls**.

Slipping the book out he handed her the novel.

Blake calmed herself down and grabbed the book with both hands to scan the cover. The hardcover of the book was pitch black and in bold golden letters the title read **Shadow of the Colossus**.

She turned the book over and read the the brief description.

" _The Many for the Single. Sixteen for the One. It's the Right thing to Do. It Just Has to Be._ "She read in her head.

"It's one of my favorites."Ozpin recaptured her attention when he spoke.

"I think that you'll enjoy it as well. It's a very good read."

"If you say so,"She said while looking the book over again. Something about it...she couldn't put her finger on it, but the book, it really interested her. It didn't look particularly enticing, the cover being simple and not really that eye catching. Even the brief description on the back was cryptic and didn't reveal too much. But still…

"When do you want me to have it back to you?"She asked.

"No no,"He shook his head,"Please, take your time. Far be it from me to make this feel like an assignment. Read at your own pace and enjoy it. I only ask that every few chapters you come and speak to me about what you think so far. Does this sound fair?"

She nodded.

"Good."He checked his scroll for the time."I suggest you hurry, first period begins in about five minutes, and I've kept you long enough now."

Blake nodded and hurried over to the elevator.

"Miss Belladonna!"He called.

She stopped and looked back.

Ozpin smiled and said,"Read very carefully, you just might learn something new."

She could only nod again, this time slowly as she took in his words, and entered the elevator.

When Ozpin heard the elevator start to descend he turned around and faced his large window to stare out at the campus.

"And now comes the hard part,"He sighed."Waiting."

 **That Night**

The rest of the day went by in a blur. She was only partially aware of everything around her because she was so distracted by the book that seemed to demand her attention. She always got this way when she found something new to read. And having a book recommended by the headmaster himself had set her expectations a little high. When she began the book, she wanted everything to be just right. She had to have absolute silence, meaning she couldn't read in front of her team. Nothing against them, but they couldn't stay quiet to save their lives.

That and they really didn't know she had the book. She had been sure to hide it when she saw them in class. They had known she went to the headmaster's office, not the library. So seeing her with a book would make them suspicious, and then they'd really start asking questions.

So she had waited for her to team to fall asleep. And once they had, she had changed into her sleeping yukata and had turned on her reading lamp.

Resting against her headboard she lay snug in her sheets and with her knees pulled close to her chest and grabbed the black book to rest it against her legs.

She took a moment to admire the simple yet beautiful book once more before flipping open the cover.

She came upon a blank white page with the author's name and publisher.

 _ **Written by ICO**_

 _ **Published and edited by Sony.**_

" _Strange names_ ,"She thought.

And with that last thought she turned to page one.

 **X.x.X.x**

 **Would you be mad at me for ending it here? I'm sorry. But this has to happen. And if I continue this story then I wanna see if I get any feedback first. Positive or negative will determine the outcome. So please people. Review and tell me what you think. I need this!**

 **This is GhostAngel14 signing off!**


	2. Chapter 2:Dormin & Valus

Chapter 2

 **Oh...my...gosh…**

 **I cannot has english now.**

 **What?! How...why...ok hold up.**

 ***Takes a deep breath***

 **Ok, i'm coherent now. For the most part.**

 **So, it seems that people really like the story idea. I'm honestly really shocked with how well this was taken. Only a week after posting it and already, the favorites and follows are in the double digits! What, are you kidding me?**

 **Is somebody playin ya boy?!**

 **Apparently not.**

 **So then, I guess we get into the part that everybody really wants...Blake starts the first chapter. I'll be honest, I am kinda scared with how this might come out. I've never tried to novelize anything so this is my first time trying. And it couldn't be anything easy, no it's freakin Shadow of The Colossus! Man, I hope I get this right, God help me.**

 **Before anything I wanna say thank to all those who favorited and followed and reviewed and are gonna put there faith in me to give em a good read, I promise I won't let you down.**

 **And please! Understand that in order for this to work, some parts have to be stretched, compressed, and at some points but not too many, added in! Please give me the benefit of the doubt on this!**

 **Disclaimer:RWBY is owned and created by Rooster Teeth and Shadow of the Colossus is owned and made by Sony and Team ICO.**

'Normal Speech'

' _Thoughts'_

' **Reading'**

X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Last time

 _Resting against her headboard she lay snug in her sheets and with her knees pulled close to her chest and grabbed the black book to rest it against her legs._

 _She took a moment to admire the simple yet beautiful book once more before flipping open the cover._

 _She came upon a blank white page with the author's name and publisher._

 _ **Written by ICO**_

 _ **Published and edited by Sony.**_

" _Strange names,"She thought._

 _And with that last thought she turned to page one._

X.x.X.x.X.x.X

 **Prolouge**

 **That place...began from the resonance of intersecting points…**

 **They are memories replaced by ens and naught and etched into stone. Blood, young sprouts, sky-and the one with the ability to control beings created from light.**

 **In that world, it is said that if one should wish it, one can bring back the souls of the dead…**

Blake blinked in surprise.

' _Bring back the dead?_ 'She thought as she continued.

 **But to trespass on that land is strictly forbidden.**

' _Interesting start._ 'She noted as she turned the page.

 **Chapter 1:Dormin**

 **For as far as the eye could see, the sky was black. Dark clouds shrouded the land and hid it from the light, a sign of the coming storms.**

 **Amongst the black clouds, a lone falcon soared through the air, quickly seeking shelter from the soon coming weather.**

 **Riding the winds, the brown feathered bird descended down into the mountains, flying alongside the quiet rocks to find a place to land and find cover from the rain.**

 **The predator of the sky rounded a cliff, flying beside a narrow path along the side of the mountain, and as it started to ascend, for a split second, it's dark eyes locked with the stare of dull steel colored gray, and the raptor was amongst the sky again.**

Blake felt a slight shiver on her neck at the mental image.

 **The owner of the gray eyes stopped his horse and watched the majestic bird soar into the heavens, it's form becoming smaller and smaller before it was inevitably lost to his sight.**

 **Turning back to the path he lightly kicked the horse's sides and they were moving onward again.**

 **His cloak flapped in the wind and the chill in air sunk into his bones. But even as the frigid temperature caused bumps to form along his arms he stayed focused and didn't relent to the harsh conditions.**

' _Obviously the protagonist_ ,'Blake realized with a nod of her head,' _Strong, determined, and he even has a horse. No real hero can NOT_ _have a horse_.'

She chuckled quietly.

 **Soon the mountains started to sink lower and lower until he was at ground level once more. The rocky terrain was replaced with wood and plant as he had made his way through a green and shadowy forest. The sounds of bird and insect alike singing softly as his horse silently stepped through the mud and dirt of the damp woods.**

 **Through the thick foliage above, trails of sunlight poked through the leaves and branches. And with this, the young man had realized that he had been traveling all night and the sun was beginning to climb into the sky to replace the night with morning.**

 **Seeing a pond up ahead, the boy pulled his horse to a stop and dismounted, being careful to keep the blanket wrapped object from tipping over.**

Blake's mind started to ponder on this. What could be in the bundle? It'll obviously be revealed later but she still couldn't help but be curious now.

 **Stepping up to the water he bent to his knees and cupped his hands in the water and brought it up to his mouth to drink.**

 **The water was cool and crisp as it traveled down his throat, the sensation causing him to sigh in bliss. Refreshing.**

Blake licked her lips, her mouth suddenly feeling dry. She might need a drink of water after she was done.

 **A splash to his left made him turn his head.**

 **Agro, his horse, was eagerly and loudly lapping up the water, likely very thirsty from their non-stop traveling.**

 **His horse turned to him for a second, snorted and went back to drinking. He shook his head at his long time companion.**

 **Turning back to the water he scooped up more in his hands and splashed it into his face. The biting cold helping to wipe away some of his exhaustion.**

 **He did this several more times before wiping his eyes and looking back at his rippling reflection in the pond.**

 **His eyes were starting to get dark circles underneath them, a result from his long journey. His auburn hair dripping water back into the pond, further distorting his image.**

' _Finally a description!_ 'Blake thought in as she slowly started to build his image in her head.

 **However, despite his fatigue, he had to keep moving. No matter how much his body protested against his unwillingness to rest, he couldn't afford to sleep. He'd just be wasting time.**

' _I can understand that._ 'She thought in sympathy as she remembered nights where she couldn't sleep with thoughts similar along those lines.

 **Remounting Agro, he steered his horse away from the water and back onto their set path. Although he could tell his companion wished to rest a bit more. He couldn't blame him.**

 **They didn't get too far out of the woods before the clouds returned, the smell of rain heavy in the air. It wasn't long before the rain started to sprinkle, and only a few seconds later, start coming down in waves.**

 **He had led Agro under a small hill where they could be temporarily safe from the vicious downpour.**

 **His cloak, once light, was now weighted and soaked from the rain, and his tunic and pants now stuck uncomfortably to his body.**

 **Agro shook out his wet mane and snorted in displeasure at the cold rain.**

Blake smiled slightly, Agro seemed just about as human as the boy was.

 **The young wanderer cast a glance up to the black sky and sighed while shifting the sword around his waist. It seemed that it was gonna stay like this for a while. And seeing how he didn't wanna get any more soaked than he already was, he had no choice but to wait it out.**

 **Slumping in his saddle he felt his muscles start to relax as the low rumble of thunder sounded off in the distance. This with the sound of the rain worked to slowly ease his mind to sleep. Yawning into his hand he blinked as his eyelids became heavier by the second.**

Blake suppressed her own yawn and had to blink her eyelids as well. This book was getting a little too descriptive. She just started, she can't go to bed yet!

 **Laying his head against Agro's neck he felt the rest of his will leave him and soon he was asleep.**

 _ **The boy screamed in his prison, his eyes locked on the church through the window of his cell. He heard their chants, they grew stronger as the ritual was coming to an end. As she was coming to her end. He started to pound at the door. He couldn't fail her, he couldn't break his promise! But the noise halted. The chants stopped just like his heart. Dread filled his body and made him physically ill. It was over, which only meant...huffing and snarling in rage, all in the village heard as he furiously roared her name.**_

" _ **Mono!"**_

 **He started awake.**

Blake actually jumped back a little. Her tiredness forgotten, she felt her heart pound in her chest from the few sentences. She had gotten so into those few lines that she had actually started to lean forward into the book.

Whoa, it was starting to get intense. She continued reading.

 **Eyes wide and breathing deeply he tightened his fists around the reigns until his knuckles turned white. The fire in his heart reignited and with a scowl on his face, he steered Agro out into the pelting rain.**

' _A memory. Definitely a memory_ ,'She determined,' _It looks like it's what's driving him into doing...whatever he's doing_.'

 **His gray eyes set sternly in front of him, he ignored how the rain poured onto him, soaking him to the bone and causing goosebumps to rise on his skin. Agro let his displeasure of the circumstances known with a few aggravated whinnies and head shakes. He ignored him.**

 **It was about an hour into the storm and the aimless wandering that the rain started to lighten as did the clouds, their ink black color softening into a light gray.**

 **He was thoroughly soaked now, as was Agro, much to the horse's dismay. Continuing south had lead them into a large grass plain. The dirt had long since been turned into deep and slimy mud. Agro struggled to lift his legs as the wet ground failed to offer the horse any form of support to walk on and the feeling of the mud getting stuck in his hooves made walking uncomfortable.**

 **The wanderer made a note to clean out Agro's hooves later.**

' _At least he cares for his horse_.'Blake thought. She didn't really like how the boy was doing all this at the expense of his horse to be honest. But seeing that he at least cared for what happened to him a little made her feel slightly better.

 **They continued through the wet plains for another hour before the rain finally stopped. The clouds dispersed and the sun was able to shine it's light on the world again. The grassland receded into an old beaten stone path, finally giving them a chance on stable ground. With the mud gone, the Wanderer took the time to clean out whatever he could from under Agro's hooves. The journey wouldn't go well with him getting soft feet or infection from the mud.**

 **They were going again as soon as he was finished.**

' _You couldn't spare just a few minutes to rest?_ 'She frowned in annoyance. Poor Agro.

 **Following the path, the duo was greeted with a profound silence. Through most of the journey, they had heard the sounds of birds, insects, and wind. But as they got further down the road, the noise slowly started to quiet down until the silence was basically non-existent. He didn't question it, for in the distance he saw it; the end of his journey.**

Blake raised a brow in question. Surely it couldn't be over so soon.

 **It stood out in the vast landscape, sticking up in the distance to act as a beacon in the deserted plain.**

 **The structure grew taller and taller as they got closer and soon the path had led them to a tall stone gate: it's shadow cast over them in a grand veil of darkness. A narrow passage between the two pillars seeming to be the only way through as the rest of the gate was surrounded by rock that spread for miles on each side.**

Blake could see it in her head, the gate was mysterious and held an aura of quiet awe to its tall frame.

 **Guiding Agro through the narrow pathway, he felt his heart start to pound in anticipation. Reaching the end of the passage, he was temporarily blinded by the sun before his vision was restored and he beheld the scene in front of him. From the ledge of the cliff, stretching into the canyon was a long narrow ivory bridge, for almost an entire mile it reached out into a large stone structure in the center of the canyon. His heart pounding even harder he took a sharp breath in at realizing that his destination was right in front of him. He was so close.**

' _Now i'm even more curious as to what his mission is_.'Blake thought.

 **Agro's hooves made a soft clack after every step on the smooth rock bridge, the noise being a nice distraction from the deafening silence that seemed to surround the entire area. It took them about half an hour before they had started to get close to the giant structure at the end of the bridge. Around the giant rock that seemed to graze the sky itself, multiple falcons flew gently in the breeze. And the young man idly wondered if one of them was the one he had seen earlier.**

' _The falcons seem important for some reason,_ 'Blake thought,' _I wonder if they have any meaning to the story._ '

 **Finally arriving to the grand structure, he could see more clearly the simple yet intricate designs and architect carved into the rock. And he could tell instantly by the markings that it was once a grand temple in it's prime. But now, the old rock was weathered and broken off in some areas. The marks and drawings heavily faded away. It was a ghost of it's former self.**

 **Stepping off the bridge, the young man and his horse stood immediately in front of a doorway blocked by a thick slab of stone with multiple carvings along it's face. He looked around but could not see a way to open or go around the door.**

 **The boy swore in his head. Now what?**

 **But as Agro took a few more steps forward, the stone slab suddenly shook, startling the two, and the rock actually started to rise up into the doorway and the path was clear to them.**

' _I've read enough horror to know this doesn't usually end well_ ,'Blake thought apprehensively. Hopefully that wasn't the case here.

 **A descending staircase into darkness was what was on the other side. Agro, seeing the dark void, started to stomp and whinnie his protest at going down the steps.**

' _If the animal doesn't wanna go, then that's when you know that this is probably a bad idea,_ 'Blake surmised as she felt herself start to get nervous for the upcoming events.

 **Even though he felt a bubble of uncertainty grow in his stomach, the boy tightened and pulled the reins to get Agro under control, and once the horse was calmed down he flicked the reins and they were moving forward again.**

' _This is not gonna be good._ '

 **As they started to descend the steps, the boy kept his eyes forward in search of a light at the end of the stairway, but he turned his head around when he heard the grinding of stone and saw that the stone door was lowering again. When it touched the floor, he was in complete and total darkness.**

' _Knew it._ '

 **He felt Agro shift and stomp, softly neighing in distress of the situation. While calmly stroking his companion's neck he whispered calmly to the horse. He was able to soothe the horse for now and felt him settle down slightly. Though he could still hear Agro's heavy breathing. Grabbing the reins, he gently eased his horse down the steps, as to not have him trip and injure himself. All the while, he strengthened his grip around the cloth wrapped bundle.**

' _And were back to the bundle. What could it be?_ '

 **It didn't take long for them to find light again. At the end of the stairwell they were lead into a room with a downward spiraling path. Letting Agro take his time, they slowly started down the path. When they reached the bottom, the young wanderer took notice of a circular pool of strange silver liquid. While unusual, he didn't have time for the strange phenomenon and decided to ignore it for now.**

 **Agro continued forward into what he assumed was the main hall, making their way in, he was momentarily stunned.**

 **Along the walls, on both sides, stood eight tall idols, each depicting a different animal or beast of legend. He cast a glance at each one as he passed them, an unnerving feeling coming onto him as he looked at them. It almost felt as if they were alive, and more frighteningly so, as if they were watching him.**

' _Well...this suddenly just got a little eerie_.'Blake noted as she leaned forward a little in her bed.

 **Shaking away his fear, the young man steeled his features and ignored the statues. There was no possible way that these could be alive. They were just rocks, nothing to fear.**

 **When they reached the end of the hallway, he pulled the reins and forced Agro to a halt. Dismounting his steed, the young man then carefully reached for the sheet wrapped bundle and pulled it off of the saddle and into his arms.**

Blake started at this as she felt her excitement start to kick in. It seems that she was finally gonna know what was in the bundle!

 **Walking forward he started up the fifteen steps until he reached the stone altar at the peak of the small staircase and gently laid the bundle atop the stone.**

 **Then with a grand flourish, he grabbed the brown sheet in his fist and yanked the blanket away and released it to fall to the ground.**

 **The shining white of her dress was the first thing he saw.**

Blake's eyes widened and she gasped in surprise. What?!

 **His metal gray eyes looked upon her still form. Her chest unmoving and her skin, pale and cold. He remembered when her cheeks were rosy and vibrant, when her pailing lips were supple and pink. But all that remained was the dark ebony of her hair, and the slim and delicate features she was blessed with. She was the epitome of beauty, no other woman compared to her in his eyes.**

 **And now here she lays, quiet and unmoving. Touched by the kiss of death.**

' _Wait!_ 'Blake thought incredulously,' _So...it was her this whole time. He was carrying her this whole time. But why would he bring her there?_ '

Suddenly, Blake remembered the prologue and it's mysterious text,

If one should wish it, one can bring back the souls of the dead.

' _This must be what he's there for...to bring her back._ 'She realized. With her sudden epiphany she continued on.

 **His eyes hardened as he stared at her. A constricting feeling in his chest erupted as his anger started to spark. Anger at his failure.**

 **He gripped the sword strapped to his waist in a white knuckled grip as he watched the wind ruffle her hair and the sun shine softly on her face.**

" _ **Run Mono, Run!**_ **"**

" _ **Please…**_ **"**

" _ **You bastards, come on, I'll kill you all!**_ **"**

" _ **Please stop…**_ **"**

" _ **If you wanna take her, you'll have to kill me first!**_ **"**

" _ **No! Stop! I'll go with you, just don't hurt him!**_ **"**

 **He grit his teeth and cursed himself. He was weak, and because of that...she payed for it. And he couldn't do anything about it!**

Blake felt her heart ache at the young man's pain. She even had to blink back tears with how genuine his anguish sounded. If what she read was true, then she could understand why he was going through all this. He felt as if he needed to make up for his mistakes…and she knew more about that then most people.

 **His internal seething was interrupted when he heard a frightened whinny from Agro. He spun around as his right hand gripped his sword. He narrowed his eyes at the sight.**

 **Shadows.**

 **That was the only word that could be used to describe the man shaped beings rising from the ground before him. Humanoid blobs of darkness rose up from the ground slowly, a disgusting slimy sound emanating from them as they forced themselves out of the floor.**

Blake's heart started beat faster.' _What are these things? They're not grimm, even grim have defining features, these don't seem to have any._ 'She thought.

 **His eyes sharpened as he beheld the five forms in front of him. He watched as they stumbled around the floor attempting to walk closer. Agro neighing in distress as he backed away.**

 **He stared the living shadows down with a hard, piercing stare, his gaze unwavering as he gripped his sword's handle and slowly drew it from its sheath.**

 **The blade sung as it was unleashed, it's dark gray metal appearing almost black as the sword caught the light of the sun and illuminating the sword in an ethereal and otherworldly glow.**

 **He pointed his blade threateningly towards the sluggish figures and the light from his blade shined onto them.**

 **With a pained whisper, the beings dissolved into a black vapor before disappearing.**

 **A bright light burned from the ceiling and he temporarily shielded his eyes from the blaze. Outside he could suddenly hear the rumbling of the storms as a heavy feeling seemed to settle within the room. As if something had appeared, something ancient...and powerful.**

 **Turning his eyes to the light once more he let his eyes be captured by the brilliant radiance, his eyes encaptured by its beauty.**

 **That's when he heard it.**

 **The voice.**

" **Hmm? Thou possess the Ancient Sword? So thou art mortal…"**

 **It sounded off everywhere, the voice seemed to touch every part of the temple. His head ringed as it seemed to resounded even in his mind. A combination of male and female, the voice was deep and soothing. Menacing and gentle. His heart pounded and a cold sweat dripped from his brow. This was who he searched for.**

Blake's could hear her heart in her ears, she clasped the edges of the book in her hands tightly. Something about this...it didn't seem right.

 **Steeling his heart and pushing aside his fear he spoke out to the voice.**

" **Are you Dormin?"He called calmly,"I was told that in this place, at the ends of the world-"**

 **He sheathed his sword.**

" **-there exists a being who can control the souls of the dead."**

 **There was a brief pause.**

" **Thou art correct…"It said."We are the one known as Dormin…"**

 **Feeling a spark of hope in his heart he continued.**

" **She was sacrificed, for she had a cursed fate."He said. He turned to look back at the dead girl and his eyes softened again.**

 **His voice almost desperate, he pleaded,"Please...I need you to bring back her soul…"**

Blake's heart stopped. It couldn't be that easy.

 **He turned back around as he heard a chuckle. One that managed to sound both mocking and comforting at the same time.**

" **That maiden's soul?"Dormin asked almost coyly."Souls that are once lost cannot be reclaimed...is that not the law of mortals?"**

 **His eyes closed as he felt the hope inside his heart start to crumble. Tilting his head down he felt the full weight of his guilt start to bare down on him. The added weight making his shoulders sag in defeat. It couldn't end like this...not after everything…**

" **With that sword however…"**

 **His head shot up as his eyes widened. Hope swelling in his chest again.**

" **It may not be impossible."**

' _How much more satirical can you get?_ 'Blake wondered in annoyance. Seriously, she could feel her brow start to twitch at the amount of playful ridicule. This Dormin was seeming more and more suspicious with each page.

" **Really?!"He asked with joy almost bursting into his voice.**

" **That is, of course,"Dormin clarified,"If though manage to accomplish what we asketh."**

 **With his resolve rekindled he asked strongly,"What do I have to do?"**

Blake idly wondered, if this is what being caught in a spider's web felt like.

" **Behold the idols that stand along the wall…"He announced,"Thou art to destroy all of them."**

 **With that proclamation he looked upon the stone figures that had greeted him upon entrance to the shrine.**

" **But those idols cannot be destroyed by the mere hands of a mortal…"He warned.**

" **Then what am I to do?"He asked in confusion.**

" **In this land,"He told,"There exists colossi that are the incarnations of those idols."**

" **If thou defeat those colossi…"**

 **The boys eyes fell on one statue, one shaped to that of a bull.**

" **...the idols shall fall."**

 **He nodded his head.**

" **I understand."He said determinedly.**

" **But heed this,"Dormin cautioned,"The price you pay may be heavy indeed."**

" **It doesn't matter."He retorted. He was already paying a heavy price for what happened. He needed to do this.**

' _I wonder, does he need to, or does he think it will ease his conscious_?'Blake thought.

 **Dormin paused, as if considering if his answer was what he wanted.**

 **He felt a slight pinch of worry until he spoke again.**

" **Very well…"He had no face...yet his voice somehow betrayed a smile.**

" **Raise thy sword by the light…"He instructed."And head to the place where the sword's light gathers…"**

 **The boy felt the smile in Dormin's voice return.**

" **There, thou shalt find the colossi thou art to defeat."**

 **He turned around and cast a look to the landscape outside of the temple. He felt his brow furrow in determination before turning his eyes down and seeing the still form of the young woman.**

" **I didn't protect you,"He whispered morosely,"I promised I wouldn't let you die. But I was too weak."**

 **Taking a deep breath he stood straighter and spoke louder."But now, I have a chance to fix this. To right my wrong. I won't fail again!"He promised resoloutely.**

 **Calming himself he spoke softly again,"I'll understand if you never want to speak to me after I let you down the first time. And I kinda hope you do, I don't deserve your kindness anymore. If I have to do one last thing for you, then let this be it. And afterwards I promise...you'll never have to deal with me again."**

Blake felt her heart crack.

 **Turning away solemnly he made his way down the steps and over to Agro and mounted his steed.**

" **Now, be on thy way."Dormin commanded. The boy nodded.**

' _ **Nothing will stop me from doing this.**_ **'He thought furiously. His eyes burned with passion as he commanded Agro out of the temple.**

' _ **I will bring you back Mono...no matter what the cost!**_ **'**

 **Chapter 2:Valus**

The bolded print of the next chapter greeted her as she turned the page. Blake turned her eyes to the digital clock on top of the dresser and bit her lip in seeing that it was almost 11:30. She had been reading for about an hour, and it barely felt like ten minutes!

Blake swore softly as she was greeted with a familiar problem. Keep going or save her spot and go to bed.

She had classes in the morning and she couldn't afford to sleep during Oobleck's lectures, the man always sprung a pop quiz out of nowhere!

She looked between the book and the clock before huffing in frustration. Screw it she'd keep reading!

One flunked test didn't equal immediate expulsion...plus she was just too interested to stop now. So with her slightly misplaced determination, she began chapter 2.

 **Descending the temple steps atop Agro the young man remembered the mysterious entity's instructions and drew his sword. Raising it above his head he let the blade catch the light of the sun.**

 **The wanderer watched in amazement as the light gathered in his blade and traveled to the tip of his sword, from there the light split into eight different beams before converging back into a single ray of light that shined to the south towards a row of cliffs that were easily in sight.**

 **Dropping his sword back down he gazed at the cliffs and nodded.**

" _ **That way.**_ **"**

' _That's a pretty handy piece to have._ 'Blake supposed.' _It'd certainly make finding lost objects easier_.'

 **With a kick to the side, Agro was off in a quick gallop to the cliffs. Hanging onto the reins with one hand, the boy was sure to continuously raise the sword every once in a while to make sure they continued down the right path.**

 **He turned his head and watched as the shrine got smaller the farther away he traveled, his worry growing all the same. He knew he had no real reason to be afraid but still...he hoped nothing happened to Mono's body.**

' _He must have really loved her_.'Blake thought sadly,' _Even though she's dead he still cares…_ '

Blake could only imagine the pain he was feeling at having lost her.

 **The journey didn't take long, almost a half an hour at most, but he was too focused to care, they had arrived.**

 **He pulled Agro to a stop in front of a pair of steps. Some other ruined rocks that lay in pieces around him was enough for him to understand that this cliff once held another temple. Walking up the steps they stopped in front of the cliff face and the boy gazed up at the weathered rock ledges still attached to the cliff side. Now all he needed was to find a way up. A glance to his right allowed him to see that a thick tangle of vines had grown on the rock, it looked sturdy enough to climb. It'd have to do.**

 **Dismounting he made sure to grab the bow and arrows he kept under Agro's saddle. Slinging the bow around his left shoulder and his bushel of arrows around his right hip he made to begin his climb.**

 **A slight push from behind made him stumble.**

 **He turned around and was met with Agro's coal black eyes.**

' _Aww he's worried_ ,'She internally gushed. If all horses were like Agro, then she definitely needed to invest in one.

 **Agro let out a soft whinny and moved his muzzle closer to the boys face. Sighing, he ran his hands up and along the horse's head. His eyes focused on the large white diamond shaped hair on the horse's head. It was for this sole reason he had picked the little colt to be his all those years ago.**

 **While all the other boys looked to see which of the crop of was seemingly the strongest, he looked for something that stood out about at least one. While all the horses hair were a solid color of their own, he was immediately taken in when he saw a pitch black horse with a little white diamond on his head. Others called it an imperfection to the little horse, he called it a trademark. Something that made him special...and for the little boy, that was all he needed.**

' _How can it be possible to be emotionally invested in a horse?_ 'Blake thought incredulously.' _If something happens to Agro...Ozpin better watch his back for giving me this._ '

 **The young man whispered and clicked softly, trying to ease the horse's apparent worries. Agro shook his mane and snorted to let his displeasure be known to him.**

" **Be calm Agro,"He whispered softly,"I have to do this, it's the only way to get Mono back. Don't you want to see her again?"**

 **At the mention of her name, the horse seemed to wilt, seemingly very saddened to hear her name.**

" **You miss her too don't you?"He asked dishearteningly.**

 **He could recall the times when Mono would sneak in and feed his horse carrots in the stables, and how much Agro seemed to enjoy her company. Her gentle hands stroking through his mane and laying soft kisses on his nose. She even sang to him. Now, unless he could finish his mission, Agro would never have her back either. And he'd have failed both of the ones closest to him.**

' _Poor Agro…_ 'Blake thought for the second time tonight. She started to tear up at the fond memories being shared and instantly felt herself start to root for the boy. She hoped he got what he asked for, he seemed to be suffering a lot. Wiping her eyes to clear her vision she continued.

" **I'll return,"He promised."You will see me again."And with one last pat he turned to the vines. Testing their strength and making sure they were strong he began to climb.**

 **Scaling the vines were easier than expected, it was traversing the ledges that proved to be more difficult. Not all of them were the sturdiest, and there were gaps in between each one that he had to constantly jump. He even had to duck under a fallen tree on one of them. After having scaled the last one, he was forced to jump onto a ledge and shimmy to the other side at the expense of his fingers.**

 **As he dangled from the ledge he turned and saw a small path he would have to leap to from his prone position.**

 **So he braced his feet against the pillar of rock and turned his body, one hand still holding on and the other reached out and ready to grab.**

 **Counting down from three he pushed himself off with all his strength flew to the side, immediately grabbing and hauling himself up onto the path.**

 **Taking a moment to breath from the physically exhausting task, the young man massaged his fingers to ease to soreness of supporting his body.**

 **Flexing his fingers he suddenly froze.**

Warning signs went off in Blake's head as her heart started to beat faster.

 **He felt something. Waiting a few seconds he felt it again. And again.**

 **Systematically...he felt the ground start to tremor.**

 **One, two, three-rumble. One, two, three-rumble**

 **It was strange, it was almost like it could be compared to...footsteps.**

' _Oh no._ '

 **Gulping nervously, the young boy stood up and made his way up the path. The closer he got up the path, the louder the steps became. The harder the ground shook. And the more his weariness grew.**

 **Just before he rounded the cliff side the biggest quake made him freeze.**

 **His eyes widened when he felt how close it was. And the deep grunt afterwards made his heart stop.**

Toes curling underneath the sheets, Blake's own heart seemed to stop as well.

 **Pressing against the side of the rock he felt his heart beat wildly in his chest as he listened to more of the loud stomps from behind the rock. Gathering what courage he had, he leaned his head over from behind the rock to look at the source of the giant steps.**

 **What he saw will haunt him for the rest of his days.**

 **The first thing he saw was it's leg...followed immediately by the swing of it's massive armored arm.**

 **His eyes widened in as he beheld the giant that walked passed him. His heart hammered in fear and he felt himself start to tremble. From his spot on the ground, all he could make out was fur, stone armor...and a giant club that could squish him like an insect.**

 **Literally frozen in fear, he could only watch as the great being walked past him, easily not noticing something as miniscule as he was to such a creature.**

 **He snapped out of his stupor a second later with a shake of his head. He had no time to gawk at whatever that thing was. He still had a mission to complete and he couldn't waste time with this monster...unless.**

 **Feeling his heart be grasped by a cold hard terror, the young man unsheathed his blade and held it up to catch the light. He watched as the light converged into one beam and point itself directly at the giant being, confirming his theory to his dread and horror.**

 **That thing was what he was looking for. A colossi...the very thing he had to slay.**

Blake's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and her jaw dropped in disbelief. No...way, that's what he was up against?

' _How is he gonna be able to kill that?!_ '

 **How was he supposed to kill that?!**

Blake laughed slightly.

 **His heart pounded against his chest as he watched the beast stomp down the canyon, it's steps leaving tremors and breaking the ground.**

 **His grip on his sword tightened and his teeth grit in frustration as he trembled.**

 **There was no way.**

 **He couldn't kill that thing...there was just no way.**

 **Any attempt would be suicide. He would die before he even saw an opportunity to strike.**

 **He took a step back and hid himself behind the rock again.**

 **His grip on his sword loosened until the black blade fell to the dirt. In his helplessness he felt his eyes start to sting and soon tears slid down his face.**

" **I can't do it...I can't do it…"He whispered brokenly.**

 **He collapsed to his knees.**

' _No, don't give up_ ,'Blake urged. He had come so far, he couldn't let himself give up yet.

 **Listening as the steps grew fainter, he cried.**

 **He cried for his fear.**

 **He cried for his weakness.**

 **He cried for his cowardice.**

 **He opened his eyes to stare at his reflection in the sword.**

 **A teary eyed crying child was all he saw.**

" **Pathetic,"He scoffed.**

 **All his talk, all his promises, and yet he can't even bring himself to forsake his fear. He wasn't strong, he was nowhere close!**

 **He'd never complete his mission now...he'd never have Mono back.**

' _ **Mono**_ **'**

 **Her name gave him nothing but guilt and heartache now. And that's how it would always be now. Because he couldn't force himself to be strong! To fight!**

' _ **Mono**_ **'**

 **No! He couldn't curl up now! He was done being weak, he needed to be strong now, for her...and for himself.**

 **Glaring at his image in the sword he snarled and snatched the sword into his hands.**

 **He won't lose, not here, not ever again.**

' _Whoever wrote this could make it as a motivational speaker._ 'Blake thought as she felt her own spirits being lifted by the wanderer's determination.

 **Gathering his courage he stepped out slowly from around the rock and walked out into the open. He stared heatedly at the beast's back as it started to reach the end of the canyon.**

 **With his fists clenched he poured all his anger and anguish into one loud furious shout.**

" **HEY!"**

 **The scream echoed off the canyon walls as the giant paused in its steps.**

Blake paused too, her own heart stopping.

 **The colossi stood completely still, showing no sign of moving at all. He watched the massive beasts carefully, looking for any signs of aggression from it. Then, slowly and with careful deliberate steps, the giant started to turn. And he finally saw it's face.**

' _ **Minotaurus,**_ **'He thought in amazement.**

 **The face of the beast of legend stared back at him from a distance.**

 **The enormous creature stood almost as tall as the canyon walls surrounding them and looked every bit the part it did in it's stories.**

 **The head of a bull, the body of a man, it's giant hooves protected by some sort of stone armor, as were other parts of it's body. Any part not covered by armor was instead covered by a thick coat of brown fur. The massive club it wielded only reinforced his belief that this was the very beast that was told to him in his bedside stories.**

Blake felt herself start to worry more about the young hero's chances. If this was truly a minotaur he was about to fight, then he was in more trouble than she first thought.

 **The first colossi stared down at him from it's spot from across the canyon, it's eyes solely fixated on the little being that had entered its stomping grounds.**

 **He stared back resolutely even as he felt his fear scratch at his heart and demand he run away. Everything about the beast was terrifying, yet it's eyes…**

 **They were glowing pools of swirling blue, the color seeming to fluctuate and change to every tint and shade on the color spectrum as they regarded him almost curiously.**

 **And back into them he could honestly say he felt mesmerised by the beautiful colors. And even a bit...peaceful.**

 **The spell was broken however, when the colossi started to move.**

' _Here we go!_ '

 **He stepped back when the colossus started to walk towards him and his fear returned with a vengeance.**

' **Run Run Run!'it seemed to scream.**

 **But he ignored it. He could run anymore, he had to face it head on!**

 **With his eyes blazing, he let out a bellowing war cry and charged.**

 **Not having any real plan of attack he went for whatever he could reach. The legs!**

 **When he was just before the beast's furry leg he brought the sword back and swung it in a wide arc across the beast's right leg.**

 **The large creature stumbled back in surprise as the blade actually stung it's leg.**

 **Seeing his attack actually doing something, he pressed on. When the leg dropped back down he lunged forward and stabbed the tip into it's skin making the colossi grunt and stumble back again.**

 **Had to keep going!**

' _He's actually doing it!_ 'Blake thought in surprise. Go wanderer!

 **With another cry he raced to continue his assault but was unprepared when the giant hoof rose from the ground and shot forward to smacked him right in the chest.**

Blake winced. Gonna feel that in the morning.

 **He felt all the air get knocked out of him as he was tossed back from the kick. He rolled on the ground a few times before skidding to a halt on his chest.**

 **Wincing painfully, he held his chest as he coughed and wheezed.**

 **That...hurt.**

 **And he could tell, the giant didn't even use a lot of it's strength in the hit. Of anything, the kick probably served more as a gentle push or shove to get him away from it.**

 **That didn't bode well.**

" **Now...what?"He grunted in pain.**

 **Turning his eyes to the minotaur, he saw that the beast had not moved from it's spot. Taking the time to watch and observe him, this time a bit more cautiously.**

' _This thing is pretty smart_.'Blake realized,' _It knows that he can hurt him and now it's actually being careful. Whatever these colossi are, if they're anything like this one, then they aren't simple and mindless like the grimm._ '

 **Using the sword as a crutch he lifted himself onto his feet and glared defiantly at the monster.**

 **He knew this wasn't gonna be easy but damn it!**

 **Even though he could tell that he was hurting the beast, it just wasn't enough to do any real damage. He had lost the element of surprise, now the giant knew he could hurt it, he wouldn't let him get so close now.**

' _ **What am I supposed to do? I can't kill it like this!**_ **'He thought in frustration.**

 **As if answering his call, he suddenly felt an eerie tingle go up and down his spine and a heavy feeling set itself in his stomach.**

 **In his head he could hear the haunting and soothing voice of Dormin whisper to him.**

" **Hold up thy sword to reflect the light onto the colossus. It's vitals shall be revealed…"**

 **When the feeling passed him by he shuddered and felt his stomach lurch. Having Dormin in his head was not a pleasant experience.**

' _I'll bet,_ 'Blake shuddered at having somebody like Dormin being able to speak to her telepathically.

 **But still, that was important to know.**

 **So he raised his sword to the sun and watched as the light shone off his blade and onto the colossus. The light traveled down it's chest across it's hip and landed on it's right leg.**

 **His brow scrunched in confusion.**

 **He already attacked the right leg and it barely did anything. Hmm, maybe it wasn't the front he was supposed to attack but behind it. Well, it was the only plan he had.**

 **Sheathing his sword he charged forward again and watched as the giant lifted it's foot to kick him away again. As the large hoof swung towards him he dove and rolled to the side to dodge and hastily climbed to his feet to rush the leg as it touched the ground again. He jumped up and latched onto the side of it's leg, his hands gripping clumps of fur in a vice grip.**

' _Be careful!_ 'Blake pleaded in her head.

 **He hastily climbed to the back of the leg and unsheathed his sword. Flipping it in his hand to stab he raised the blade above his head and drove the tip into the beast's hamstring.**

 **The minotaur let out a surprised and pained roar before stumbling and falling forward onto one knee. It's empty fist being used to support its upper body.**

' _So far so good,_ 'Blake thought worriedly, _'Don't let up!_ '

 **He made to stab again but the light on the sword suddenly shined away from the leg and traveled it's way up it's back and onto the head.**

' _ **Oh come on,**_ **'He griped. Why couldn't this be any easier?**

' _It'd be a pretty boring story if this was easy._ 'Blake teased.

 **Internally grumbling, he sheathed his sword again and began to climb up it's kneeled over form.**

 **Just as he reached it's hip the colossus suddenly stood on it's feet again and he held on for dear life as he was now dangling above the ground.**

' _ **Oh Gods!**_ **'He swore. Looking down his eyes widened as he saw the height he was hanging from. It might not kill him, but it would definitely hurt or potentially break something.**

 **Looking up again he continued his climb once more. The colossus, seemingly having lost track of him continued to stalk it's way along the canyon in search of the little pest to disturb and harm it.**

 **Reaching a wide piece of armor that acted more like a ledge he climbed atop and fell onto his back to rest for a minute.**

Blake raised a brow questioningly. Strange place to take a break. And almost a little too convenient.

 **He could only take a few breaths before he had to grab ahold of the beast's fur again when it started to shake it's back to fling him off.**

 **Apparently it knew where he was after all.**

 **When it stopped he hastily began to climb again, his progress only being impeded when the giant try to fling him from it's back every few seconds.**

 **Reaching the base of it's neck he saw dulled spikes poking out of it's fur and quickly used them to climb up the rest of the way to the head.**

 **Crouching down he lifted the blade to the sun to find the spot to strike and the blade flashed before a glowing symbol appeared on the top of the beast's head. Crawling over to the spot he raised his sword and stabbed the glowing mark, his sword sinking into it.**

' _Yes!_ 'Blake cheered. He was gonna make it!

 **The beast seized and roared in agony at the piercing sting of the blade, it's head shaking wildly to dislodge the boy.**

 **He pulled the sword out and shielded his face when a black mist started to steam out of the punctured wound. He didn't dwell on it however and simply went for another strike. But the colossus suddenly lowered its head and flung it back up making him lose his loose grip and soar into the air.**

Blake gasped. Oh no!

 **Flailing his arms in panic the boy was soon grabbed by gravity and started to fall back down.**

She held her breath, waiting for the inevitable. It didn't look like he was gonna make it!

 **His flailing arms reached out, looking for anything to grab, when suddenly his free hand latched onto the furry brow of the colossus.**

 **He was left to dangle in front of the giant's eye.**

Blake sighed in relief.

 **His breathing stopped.**

 **The calming and peaceful blue that the creature held was gone, the mesmerizing color now replaced with a malicious and angry orange. The color reminding him of a blazing inferno, those eyes locked onto him and shone with an incomprehensible wrath that seemed to sink into and corrupt his very soul.**

Blake remembered the first time she ever saw a grimm. She was afraid and intimidated like all huntsman in training were when they first encountered one. She was disturbed by the black fur and sharp jagged bone spikes protruding from it's body of course but she was the most afraid of it's eyes. There was nothing but pure hatred in it's eyes when it looked at her, they were filled with an unholy malice that wanted nothing but her ripped to pieces. That's what it felt like to stare into a grimm's eyes. But to stare into the eyes of a colossus it seemed...so much worse.

 **But for all the rage in it's eyes, he matched it's glare with one of his own, his eyes brimming with determination. A drive to see this thing dead. And he wouldn't stop until then.**

 **Climbing back up it's head he raised the sword again and drove the sword half way into the glowing mark.**

 **The colossus roared once more, the bite of the ancient sword coursing through every part of it's body.**

 **Feeling the beast start to totter on it's feet he knew he just needed one more hit, he could do it!**

 **Yanking the sword out and ignoring the black smoke that sprayed from the wound he raised the sword in his grip for one last downward strike.**

 **This ends now!**

 **With a loud cry he struck.**

 **The beast lurched back and tottered on its hooves, seeming to try to hold onto the last vestiges of life, but it's attempts were all in vain.**

 **Dropping it's club the giant dropped onto it's knees before it leaned over to it's right and collapsed onto it's side. It's last breaths leaving it in a few painful snorts.**

 **The boy pulled his sword out and fell to the ground.**

 **He stepped back and held his blade at the ready just in case the beast tried anything else.**

 **He stared into it's wide orange eyes as the flames inside them started to dim and they reverted back to their calming blue. They eyes looked back at him intensely, as if the dying beast was trying to convey a message with its rapidly dimming eyes. A message he couldn't understand. With one final breath the light in the giant's eyes dimmed completely and left nothing but an empty black void.**

 **And just like that, the great Minotaur was dead.**

Blake felt herself start to breathe normally as the deed was finally done. He had triumphed. Normally she would feel happy or proud of the character for having succeeded against their first obstacle, but she actually felt kinda sad. The colossus...she could honestly say that it didn't really deserve what happened, and she felt actual sympathy for the great beast. But it needed to be done it seemed...that somehow made her feel worse.

 **The boy watched the unmoving form of the giant bull and waited for any signs of movement to be aware of, but sighed in relief when he saw none.**

 **Falling back on his rear he huffed in exhaustion from the battle.**

 **He did it...he really did it. He won.**

 **Feeling a smile start to grow on his face he let out a laugh at the astonishing victory.**

 **He defeated the Minotaur, he beat the colossus!**

 **He almost couldn't believe it, his bruises and fatigue were enough to tell him he wasn't dreaming, and the giant body was proof enough to tell him it actually happened.**

" **I did it,"He whispered in astonishment,"I really did it. Mono, i'm one step closer now. Just hold on a little longer, i'll see you soon."**

 **A strange sound caught his attention. He looked up.**

 **From the top of the dead colossus's head, where the mark was, darkness started to spread over the body, seeming to turn the entire body to shadow, and from the same point, black tendrils shot out and up into the sky.**

 **He watched curiously as the tendrils swirled and danced in the air until they suddenly dove down.**

 **His eyes widened when he noticed they were coming to him.**

 **He barely got a himself up before the tendrils struck him in the chest.**

 **He gasped, eyes dilating, and sweat forming along his brow as he opened his mouth wide in a silent scream. An agony unlike any he'd ever felt before flared all over his body. Grasping and clawing at his chest he tried to block the tendrils from entering him, but they passed right through and sunk into his flesh.**

Blake's eyes widened. What's happening?

 **When the last strand of darkness had passed into him, he collapsed onto his knees, the pain being too much for his body, and fell forward, his face meeting the dirt.**

 **Darkness crept around his vision as his mind started to lose consciousness. He didn't even fight it if it meant he could be free from this pain. He let his eyes close as darkness claimed everything.**

Blake flipped to the next page and saw that the next chapter began.

Turning to the clock her eyes shot open and she gaped in shock.

It was 12:48! Almost one! And she was still up! On a school night!

Just like the first chapter, it barely even felt like an hour. She couldn't let herself read anymore or else she'd be up all night.

She hated leaving on a cliffhanger however, it always made sleeping difficult, well, even more difficult. But she really didn't have a choice on this one.

Internally grumbling she bent the page's corner to save her spot and slid the book under her bed.

Slipping under the blankets, Blake couldn't help but think on what she read so far. There was so much to think about!

What happened to Mono?

Who is Dormin?

What are the colossus?

And more urgently, what just happened to the boy?

Blake vaguely realized that the book never actually gave him a name. The closest thing she recognized was repeatedly calling him wanderer.

So, she guessed that would have to be her name for him. Though she'd probably just change it to Wander to make it sound better.

Feeling a heavy yawn escape her, Blake turned to her side and let her head rest against her pillow. Her last few thoughts going back to the mysterious book handed to her by the headmaster.

' _Maybe if I wake up early enough, I can get a few pages in before class,_ 'She thought tiredly.' _Maybe…_ 'Her lashes fluttered until they closed for the night and Blake was sleeping soundly along her team.

 **X.x.X.x.X**

 **Woo!**

 **That's a wrap people! I'll be honest. This came out better than I thought it would, I hope you guys liked it.**

 **Before we end however, let's acknowledge the few people** **reviewed!**

 **Oyster11,ultima-owner,kyro2009,Cheeked, and SonataShinonome. Thank you all for giving me the drive to keep going, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Alright guys, it's time for me to mosey on outta here.**

 **Like alway people, Review, I NEED feedback. Especially on this one.**

 **Til next time-GhostAngel14**


	3. Chapter 3: Quadratus

Chapter 3

 **Well then…**

 **Seeing how good this story is doing I guess I have no choice but to keep going! I wish to thank all the people who favorited/followed/reviewed. It does this young author some good!**

 **I'll be honest, this chapter gave me a bit of trouble but I think I got it down. Well, here it goes!**

 **Disclaimer:RWBY is owned and created by Rooster Teeth and Shadow of the Colossus is owned and made by Sony and Team ICO.**

'Normal Speech'

' _Thoughts'_

' **Reading'**

X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Last Time

 _Feeling a heavy yawn escape her, Blake turned to her side and let her head rest against her pillow. Her last few thoughts going back to the mysterious book handed to her by the headmaster._

' _Maybe if I wake up early enough, I can get a few pages in before class,'She thought tiredly.'Maybe…'Her lashes fluttered until they closed for the night and Blake was sleeping soundly along her team._

X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Ya know, Blake was starting to realize something. Something really important about herself that if she had known earlier in her life would've changed the very way she saw life and everyone in it.

She wasn't a morning person.

Either that, or the sun just hated her.

Seeing how she had only closed her eyes for a minute at most and the sun was already shining!

' _Why why why?_ 'Her tired mind lamented as she buried her face into her pillow.

It wasn't fair, why did the sun have it in for her? She liked the sun well enough, it was nice and warm, and it always made her feel better after it was raining. But the feeling apparently wasn't mutual since the damned thing just loved to move faster whenever she wanted a good night sleep!

Okay, maybe it's partially her fault. Partially. After all, she did spend a lot of time reading last night.

Speaking of that…

Blake opened her eyes and made to reach under her bed for the black book but stopped when her amber eyes immediately met with a shining silver.

Ruby stood directly over her,garbed in the school uniform,peering down at her intensely.

For a while, all they did was stare at one another. Neither yielding to the intensity of the others look.

"Ruby,"Blake said slowly,"What are you doing?"

Just as slowly she replied,"Making sure you're still breathing."

Blake blinked.

"Okay but...why?"

"Because we only have five minutes before class starts and you've been asleep this whole time."

Her heart stopped.

"What?!"She shrieked.

Turning to the clock she saw it was indeed 8:55 AM.

"Yeah,"the young girl drawled at Blakes horrified face."Yang and Weiss went ahead because they didn't wanna be late."

She smiled.

"But, I volunteered to stay behind and make sure you knew what was going on, like any good team leader would."She bragged.

Good team leader her foot!

She practically flew out of her bed.

"Why didn't you wake me?!"She yelled as she ran into the bathroom.

"We tried,"Ruby said calmly,"You were sleeping pretty deeply. So we decided to just leave you. Figured you'd wake up sooner or later."

What kind of team does that?!

They should've kept trying, not just leave her to be late!

"By the way,"She heard Ruby call from the other side."Are you okay Blake? You've been sleeping really weird lately."

She paused as she pulled on her skirt.

So she was right, her team was starting to notice her strange behavior.

Could she tell them? She was actually starting to get sick of all this lying.

It wasn't right that they trusted her yet she continuously betrayed that trust so easily. She was starting to feel her guilt catch up to her.

Biting her lip nervously she finished putting on her uniform and stepped out of the bathroom.

The innocent eyes she was met with made her feel worse.

"I…"She drawled."I guess I have been having a rough time sleeping these past few days,".

"Well obviously,"Ruby rolled her eyes. Someone's feeling sassy today.

"I think i'm just stressed out."She confessed,"I've had a lot on my mind lately."

"You wanna talk about it?"Ruby said worryingly.

Blake paused to think.

"Not yet,"Blake said,"I will though, soon, when i'm ready."

Ruby leaned forward and gave Blake the most scrutinous look she could muster. Blake didn't retreat however, having gotten used to her leader's mannerisms. And honestly, it was really humorous to see her try to be serious when the only real thing she could be is cute.

After about a minute of awkward staring, Ruby backed off with an unsure look.

"You promise?"She said suspiciously.

Blake nodded.

"Promise."

After a pause, Ruby held up her pinky.

Blake's brow raised in question.

"Really?"She deadpanned.

"Just do it."

Blake rolled her eyes with a sigh. She raised her pinky finger and wrapped it around Ruby's own. And with three good shakes the agreement was complete.

"There,"Ruby smiled,"Now you'll have to talk about it later. Under penalty of losing your finger."

Blake felt a light feeling in her heart and laughed at the girl's joke.

"Oh and Blake,"Ruby said.

"Hm?"

Ruby held up a sign with a black number one on it.

"One minute til class."

Good feeling's gone.

Professor Port's Classroom

"And that, children, is the most efficient way to engage a lone Goliath. Although, if a wooden catapult and bag of peaches aren't around, you might be forced to improvise. Why, I remember a time in my youth when I was forced to defend myself with nothing but a rock and fried egg sandwich. Let me tell you about it!"

A combined groan was his signal to continue.

"Splendid! Now then, ehem. I was a handsome lad in my day-"

Another groan, this one louder, was given.

' _I should've stayed in bed_.'Blake thought in sorrow.

Despite all odds, her and Ruby actually made it to class on time. With only 25 seconds left, she grabbed the young girls red hood and told her to hoof it. The silver-eyed leader's semblance enhanced speed had saved the day in that they made it to class on time. The bad news however...they made it in time for Professor Port's lectures.

"-and I realized, I couldn't go out hiking on an empty stomach, I needed something quick and easy to make, while at the same time still delicious-"

Yeah, this was worth not getting extra sleep. Although she could just sleep here. Others certainly were.

Looking to her left she saw that Nora and Ruby were both slumped on their desks, snoring away as the long winded professor droned on. She slightly envied them for this. Wait, was that a snot bubble coming out of Nora's nose? And a puddle of drool under Ruby's head?

"-I had to gnaw the rock with my own teeth to give it a sharp enough edge for me to work with. Fortunately the beast was still being distracted from the hot mustard in it's eye from when I had hurled my sandwich at it."

Blake shook her head.

Professor Port's stories were unbelievable at best, and completely fictitious at worst. While certain aspects could be passed on as somewhat believable, the idea of using a fried egg sandwich to distract a giant grimm and gnaw on a rock with aura enhanced teeth to kill it...not so much.

In a way, she could understand what he was doing, the life of a huntsman was often a dangerous one. Facing off with the creatures of grimm was always dipped in a layer of uncertainty. You never knew what could go wrong, you could have a strategy all well and prepared but the creatures of darkness could be unpredictable and completely blindside you in a dangerous attack. What Professor Port excelled in was giving his students the best ways to fight these monsters while presenting it in a way that was colorful and humorous.

She might not always believe his stories, but she could come to understand the hidden meanings underneath. And she was thankful for it.

"-so with the beasts tusk under my left arm, I retrieved my lunch and proudly ate atop its head. While slightly squished, the sandwich was still as scrumptious as it first was when I made it!"

...for the most part.

"Now then class,"Professor Port bellowed,"Can anyone tell me what was most prominent in the story?"

Silence was his answer.

"Ahh I see, you're all speechless by the grand epicness of my tale, Hoho! Don't be shy now, feel free to speak your mind!"

"I have a question!"Nora called with a raised her hand.

' _Wasn't she asleep a second ago?_ 'Blake wondered.

"Yes miss Valkyrie?"He smiled.

"It's about the sandwich, what brand of spicy mustard did you use?"She asked curiously.

The whole class looked at her in bewilderment.

' _Really?_ ' Was the collective question,' _That's what you're most curious about?!_ '

"Fantastic question miss Valkyrie!"

' _It really isn't._ '

"Why, I always preferred the good ol' Uncle Jacks brand!"Port said with a fist pump.

"What?!"Nora said incredulously,"Uncle Jacks?! That stuff is so gross! Miss Margaret's Mustard is way better!"

Port stumbled back as if struck. He clutched his chest and leaned against his desk for support.

"Miss Valkyrie?!"He said outraged."I don't know where you've heard such nonsense, but I will not have such talk in my class. Uncle Jack's is a classic and has been at the top of the condiment sales list for generations!"

"Until, Miss Margarets came in and shoved that dime store sludge off the list five years ago! Now it's only the best condiment sold at the toxic waste dumps!"Nora vented.

"Why I never-!"

"It's true and you know it!"

"Uncle Jacks is superior!"

"Miss Margarets!"

"Jacks!"

"Margarets!"

"Jacks!"

"Margarets!"

The whole class watched the exchange like a tennis match, continuously looking back and forth between the two as their eyes burned with the passion for their preferred brand. Poor Ren looked like he was about to die in sheer embarrassment. Weiss was soon to join him though when Yang sided with Nora and began her own tirade against the professor.

' _At least class is interesting today_ ,'Blake supposed.

Beacon Cliffs

"We can't take you anywhere,"Weiss glared."Why do you insist on constantly making a nuisance of yourself?"

"I'm sorry Weiss,"Yang said in mock shame,"But I would do it again a thousand times over. My lord and savior Margaret's Mustard saved me so many times from bland and boring hot dogs."

Fire burst in her eyes as her passion soared to the sky.

"I cannot forsake my master for all she has done for me, I will die defending my lord Margaret's honor!"

"Hallelujah!"someone called from the distance. It sounded like Nora.

Weiss's brow started to twitch.

Turning to Ruby she said through grit teeth.

"Is it at all possible to exchange teammates?"

Ruby gasped in disbelief."Weiss how could you? We can't just exchange our teammates!"

The girl suddenly slumped,"I should know I looked already."

"Trying to get rid of your sister?"Weiss asked.

Ruby looked to the side and tapped her fingers together nervously.

"Y-yeah,trying to get rid of Yang...that's what I was doing."

Weiss narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Wait a minute...were you going to get rid of me?!"

"I'm sorry!"

"I can't believe you! I understand we didn't start on the best of terms but still, how could you actually think to get rid of me like that?!"

"You want a hug?"Yang asked.

"Touch me and I throw you off the cliff!"She growled.

Blake just sat next to Yang, not even trying to reign in her partner from riling up the heiress. At this point, to continue would only be a waste of time, energy, and breath.

The four girls had decided to take their lunch outside and sit on the cliffs to eat their food away from the loud drabble of the cafeteria. Though they were pretty loud themselves.

Nibbling on her Tuna sandwich, Blake's mind drifted to thoughts of the book that was stashed underneath her bed. She had been unintentionally thinking about the story all morning, and the more she thought about it, the more anxious she got to continue. She had one more class with Prof-erhm-Doctor Oobleck before she could be let for the day.

She actually made a plan to sneak back to the dorm to hopefully get a few more pages in, but just like always, her team had been there to drag her with them. She couldn't put up too much of a fight since Ruby was watching her a little more because of this morning. Probably hoping she'd talk with the rest of them sooner rather than later.

In all honesty however, she wasn't even thinking about her problems anymore. Especially since she had a solution. Even if Ozpin didn't like it.

She still couldn't get the look in his eyes out of her head. He looked so broken, so empty inside. What she said really disturbed him, she didn't even think to ask why at the time. It must be something personal if he went completely blank like that. Maybe it's better if she left well enough alone.

Blake blinked, suddenly remembering her agreement with Ozpin. She had already read two chapters of the book, and he probably wanted to hear what she thought so far. And since she wasn't doing anything right now, it'd be a perfect time to do so.

Finishing her sandwich, she stood up and dusted her hands.

"Guys,"She called. Seeing she had their attention she continued."I have to go talk to Professor Ozpin, I'll meet you in Oobleck's."

The three girls exchanged glances but nodded their heads and didn't ask any questions. Huh, that's unusual, but not unwelcome.

"See ya there!"Yang waved.

Blake nodded and turned to walk back into the school.

The girls sat and waited until she walked far enough out of earshot.

"We're gonna follow her right?"Yang murmured.

"Definitely,"Weiss confirmed.

"Should we?"Ruby asked while looking guilty."I feel like this is sorta breaking her trust."

"It's her own fault,"Weiss huffed,"She's been acting strange lately, and more than her usual Blake version of strange. And knowing her, she won't come clean on her own. If she expects us to just sit here and leave well enough alone then she clearly doesn't know us."

"I don't think I've ever heard you say something so nice,"Yang teased,"I guess this means you do care about us~"

Weiss leveled her with an unimpressed stare.

"Ruby and Blake maybe, you however are still debatable."

"Your words...they're as cold as your heart ice queen."

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that!"

"Guys!"Ruby interjected,"She's getting away, we have to catch up."

The two girls halted their argument and nodded their agreement to their small leader. Hastily they ran in the direction of their black themed teammate.

"You think she'll realize we're following her?"Yang asked.

"What?"Ruby laughed confidently,"Nah, were an amazing squad of huntresses, she'll never know were following her."

Five Minutes Later

' _They're following me,_ 'Blake realized in annoyance. She felt her eye twitch as she heard the squeak of Yang's boot and Ruby's loud breathing. And Weiss was actually foolish enough to let a sneeze out.

She had to resist the urge to pinch her nose.

Her team, while skilled and powerful in their own right, was absolutely terrible at stealth. It was honestly embarrassing. She had to force herself not to react to every sound and stumble they had. While every part of her wanted to just turn around and march right up to their poor excuses for hiding spots and drag them out by the ear, she reigned herself in.

It was understandable she supposed.

Ruby wasn't very good at keeping secrets and must have spilled about their talk this morning. Now her team was following her to see if they could figure out what was bothering her.

Was she offended? No.

Was she surprised? Nope.

Did she care? Hell no.

She had been honest about going to talk to Ozpin, if they wanted to follow her right into their own dead end then let em. It made no difference to her.

"What's she doing?"She heard Ruby 'whisper'.

"I can't tell,"Weiss replied,"It actually looks like she's heading to the headmaster's office."

"Sure it looks like it, but we can't let our guard down,"Yang said."For all we know, she's meeting up with someone from the shady side of town."

"How would they get into Beacon?"Ruby asked.

"They must be a double agent."

"Double agent? So it could be anybody?"

"Just about. It could be a teacher, a cafeteria lady, or most likely a janitor. Never trust a janitor."

"What do you have against janitors?"Weiss asked quizzically.

"We had this janitor back at Signal, and he was the weirdest guy I had ever met, nobody that weird could not be up to something shifty."

"Vic wasn't that weird."Ruby defended.

"Oh really?"Yang challenged,"Ever notice how he greeted us everyday the exact same way,'Yo what's the dealio bros, what's the haps peeps.'"

"There's nothing wrong with that."

"Then what about the time when he kept saying he wanted to die but immediately said he was joking afterwards."

Blake felt her irritation start to build at her team's constant jabbering. Obviously nobody told them the point of stealth is to be silent and not let the person you're tailing know you're there. When this was over, she was making them go through some basic stealth drills.

Coming up to the elevator she stepped inside and pressed button to the top floor.

Only when the elevator started to move did she allow herself to slump back and let out a sigh in exasperation.

Honestly, her team was gonna be the death of her one of these days. And here she thought if anything she'd die by the claws and fangs of a Grimm.

She stood up when she reached the top of the tower.

With a ding the doors slid open.

Ozpin looked up from his papers.

"Miss Belladonna,"He acknowledged,"This is a surprise. Though not an unpleasant one."

"Hi professor,"Blake said as she walked up to his desk.

"What can I help you with Miss Belladonna?"He inquired.

"You said to come and talk to you every few chapters,"She said.

Ozpin blinked.

"Yes I did...I said this yesterday. How far along are you?"

"I finished chapter 2 last night."

If Ozpin was any less of a refined gentlemen, his jaw would've smashed through his desk. Instead he only blinked again.

"Chapter 2?"He asked.

"Yes."She nodded.

"Of the book I gave you?"

"Yes."

He took a moment to think about this.

"That's,"He started,"Impressive. While not overwhelming, that is quite a bit of reading."

Blake shrugged."Wasn't that bad."

"Apparently."He nodded."Alright then, have a seat and we'll begin."

Blake took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Now then,"He folded his hands on his desk,"First things first, give me a brief overview of what you've read and tell me what you think."

She cleared her throat before speaking,"What I've read so far is about a boy who travels a long way to a temple at the end of the world. He's seeking the help from some entity named Dormin who can command the souls of the dead. He needs his help because the girl he loved was sacrificed. Dormin tells him that to do this, he needs to kill 16 colossus first. He already killed 1, the minotaur, but something happened to him, these black tentacles shot inside him and he passed out. That's as far as I got."

Ozpin nodded his head in understanding.

"Good, now, tell me what you think."

Blake sat back a little in the chair.

"Honestly,"She began,"I think it's really good so far. I got a good feel about the boy's character and I think he's really admirable but at the same time, he's relatable. It's not easy to make a character like that. A lot of characters are really brave and heroic, and that's good and all but they don't really show anything that a reader can really relate with. Like how when...umm-is the boy's name ever mentioned in the future?"

Ozpin laughed.

"You've caught on it seems. No, throughout the book he is never truly given a name. I myself have just taken to calling him Wander."

Blake blinked in surprise. Huh, and she thought she was the first one to call him that.

"Ok then, as I was saying, Wander shows something readers can relate to. When he first encountered the colossus, he wasn't fearless and completely able to just throw himself into the midst of danger. He was afraid for his life and had to ultimately force himself to get up and fight. That's something others would've had to do. That brings him to a lower ground, makes us able to empathize with him a little more."

"It makes you want to root for him all the more,"Ozpin added,"Making him as mortal as us."

"Yeah exactly!"Blake nodded excitedly,"That plus a goal that everybody can agree on makes him all the more appealing to the reader's eyes."

"And what is his goal?"Ozpin asked.

Blake actually seemed to wilt a little.

"He's...he's trying to make up for his mistake,"She said softly."He couldn't save the girl he loved, Mono I think her name was. He blames himself for her death. Now he wants nothing more than to bring her back, he doesn't even care if she ever talks to him again, just as long as she's alive."

Ozpin nodded his head solemnly.

"Do you think he can do it?"

Blake thought about it for a minute.

"It's hard to say,"She said,"If the other colossi are like the first than he'd have no trouble. But I doubt it'd be like that, otherwise the story would be pretty boring." They shared a laugh at this.

"Next question,"Ozpin said,"Do you think he should do it?"

The question floored her for a second.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean,"He chuckled,"Do you believe that what he's doing is right and should he continue?"

Blake raised her brow in confusion.

"Umm…yeah,"She said.

"You sound unsure."

"I'm not it's just, I don't really get where that question came from."

"I suppose it is rather strange,"He nodded,"Maybe i'm asking the wrong question. Do you believe it's right to meddle in the affairs of death?"

Blake blinked.

"I...I…"She muttered.

"You've never really thought much about this have you?"

"I can't say I have,"She said.

"Understandable. Everyone has wished that someone who passed was still among them. But not many have really stopped and thought about it. Would people be ok with actually bringing back the dead?"

Blake had no answer.

"It's a real moral debate to had. I'm sure our debate club would have a pleasant time with that."

Blake started in surprise.

"We have a debate club?"

"Oh yes,"Ozpin smiled,"Quite a heated bunch of students. Very stubborn and resolute in their beliefs. Never a dull moment i'm afraid. I'd advise you to step into some of their meetings sometimes."

"I just might,"Blake agreed.

"Good. Anyways, i'm glad you enjoy the book so far. I can assure you, it gets much better. The best has yet to come."

"I bet."Blake said.

She stood up from her seat and started to walk away.

"Thank you for the visit Miss Belladonna, it was enjoyable."

"No problem professor,"Blake said,"I actually had fun too. I'll be back after the next few chapters."

"Be sure to inform me next time beforehand,"He called as she entered the elevator,"I'll be sure to have some refreshments."

She nodded just before the doors closed.

Standing back against the wall Blake took the time to think about Ozpin's question. People die, and nothing can stop or change that. But what if those lost could be brought back? Should it be done? Something about the idea just seems...unnatural.

But would it be worth it? In all actuality, death is just as natural as life is. It's just less pleasant than life, and most people just want to make things more pleasant or comfortable for themselves.

So is Wander doing the right thing by going against nature like this? Blake didn't think she had an answer just yet. And even if she did, it'd probably just be a matter of opinion. She's never lost somebody close to her...at least not in that sense.

The image of a red blade came into her head and she felt her chest constrict.

If she went through with her plan...would she want to reverse it?

She scoffed.

No, she wouldn't regret it. She has to do this. The suffering had to end.

Reaching the bottom floor she took out her scroll she checked the time and saw she had about 20 minutes left for lunch.

She'd probably find her team back at the ledge pretending like they never tried to follow her. She still couldn't believe how poor their stealth skills are. Ugh, she wished she'd had brought the book with her to deal with that level on nonsense.

She stopped.

Hold on. It only took 3 minutes to get to her dorm room from here. And she had some extra time since she said she would meet her team in the next class. Unless they were still close by.

A scrutinous look around the hall with a straining of her ears for trace of sound proved that they were gone. Looks like it's safe, so with a devious smile she quickly made a run for her room.

As it turned out, she was able to get there in under a minute. What can she say, a good book was a terrific motivator.

Closing the door behind her she slipped her shoes off and hopped onto her bed stomach down. She reached under the bed and pulled the black book out from underneath.

She took a moment to look over the simple cover again and with an excited smile opened up to her saved page.

 **Chapter 3: Quadratus**

 _ **The boy peaked around the tree, his eyes cautious and scared.**_

Blake blinked in confusion.

' _What?_ '

 _ **His eyes focused on the small hut that sat between two trees. A part of him was regretting this. He had let his friends talk him into this, wanting to prove his bravery and show he wasn't afraid of anything.**_

 _ **Well he was afraid now.**_

' _What is this?_ 'Blake wondered,' _Is this a memory?_ '

 _ **His friends had been particularly mean that day, he was the smallest in the group so it was prone to happen a lot, and had started calling him a bunch of names. They said he was a coward and fought like a girl. He had wanted to cry then and there but he couldn't prove them right. He wasn't a baby. He had screamed this with tears in his eyes and they only laughed in his face.**_

' _Poor kid._ 'Blake sympathized.

She knew what it was like to be bullied as a child. Though her tormentors were more prone to throw rocks and sticks at her, but mostly because she was apart of the White Fang at the time. The other kids would pull on her ears and push her to the ground because she participated in the Faunus civil rights movement. She never backed down though, no matter how many times she was attacked. She's proud to say that much about her childhood.

 _ **He said he wasn't afraid of anything, so his friends had told him to prove it. They had dared him to go into the forest and find the old house where an ugly witch lived and bring back something from the house. If he got caught, they said the witch would put a spell on him that would kill him in two days.**_

' _I think he needs to reevaluate the meaning of friends_.'Blake thought angrily. With friends like these, who needs enemies?

 _ **That had scared him enough, but they had told him that something worse lived in the house. A cursed creature that could steal his soul and crush his body like an insect. And even looking in it's eyes could shatter his spirit. He nearly cried again. What could be so horrible that it could do all this? He shuddered to think about it.**_

Wait a minute…' _Cursed?!_ 'Blake thought.

Could it possibly be…?

 _ **He froze when he heard the door creak open and ducked behind the tree. He stayed there listening to the door close and the shuffling of boots, then he heard steps slowly become further and further until they disappeared into the forest.**_

 _ **Peaking back around the tree, he found nobody around the home. Now was the time to make his move.**_

' _Again...horror movies vibes. Hopefully this won't end badly._ '

 _ **He quickly dashed from around the tree and ran to the small hut. He slid to a stop in front of the door and peeked around the house again to search for anyone who was around but found nobody.**_

 _ **Tentatively he reached his hand up and pushed the door open. The door creaked loudly as light flooded the one room inside the small hut. Shaking in apprehension, the boy stepped forward and into the room.**_

Blake could feel a tension building in her stomach, as if she was preparing for a jumpscare from a movie.

 _ **He looked around him and noticed the large blankets, intricately decorated with various colors and patterns, hung from the walls as decoration. A firepit with a large black pot on top of it, a low fire simmering the contents inside. Close to the fire lay two sets of pillows and blankets, both empty of their occupiers.**_

Blake's heart started to pick up speed.

' _We heard one leave...where's the other?_ '

 _ **He didn't pay much attention to this however, he only worried about grabbing something so he could leave this horrible place as soon as possible.**_

 _ **He didn't wanna be cursed.**_

' _He seriously needs better friends_.'Blake deadpanned.

 _ **Shuffling forward quietly he looked around for something notable to make off with. A pillow or blanket would be too lame and he'd be teased mercilessly for grabbing something so boring. But besides a few pots, jars, and blankets, he couldn't really see anything worth grabbing. The home was incredibly bare.**_

 _ **The boy huffed frustration.**_

 _ **This is stupid, shouldn't witch's have treasure or something?**_

The boys thoughts made Blake chuckle in amusement. __

 _ **Taking another step, he felt himself kick something soft.**_

 _ **Looking down curiously he had hit a small bump from underneath a blanket near the flower.**_

Blake felt her curiosity spike.

 _ **Reaching down he flipped the blanket over and blinked in surprise.**_

 _ **The sewn black eyes of a little cloth doll stared back at him.**_

 _ **It's hair black and long, lay strewn out from where it was laid out on the makeshift bed, one little braid on it's right side. The 'skin' was a light brown and a thin line that was barely arced at the ends acted as it's smile. A ragged piece of white cloth settled as a dress.**_

Blake could envision the doll perfectly in her mind. And she could honestly say, a part of her wanted it. It just seemed cute...in a really eerie and mysterious kind of way.

 _ **Picking up the doll by it's stubby arm he took the chance to look it over in his hands. It barely fit in both of his hands put together. Running his fingers over the cloth and through it's hair he thought that this could make a good thing to bring back.**_

 _ **He could just tell them it was a voodoo doll the witch used to torture her victims.**_

 _ **That'd show them he wasn't afraid.**_

 _ **Nodding resolutely the boy stood up and turned to leave.**_

 _ **Only to be met with a pair of light silver eyes.**_

" _ **Aah!"He screamed.**_

Blake jumped. What was it with this book and tension building?!

 _ **Falling to his backside he backpedaled away from the newcomer and looked on with fear in his eyes.**_

 _ **His fear was slowly mixed with confusion when he beheld to new resident in the house.**_

 _ **It was a girl. No older than him, maybe younger.**_

Blake gasped as her heart stopped. Is it really her?!

 _ **Her hair was as black as the night and her pale skin held a healthy pink blush to it, as did her lips. The most defining thing about her however was that she was garbed in a simple white dress that stopped at her shins. The fabric shined due to the light of the sun.**_

Blake's heart nearly burst. It is her! It's Mono!

And through process of elimination, this little boy had to be Wander.

' _This is definitely a memory!_ 'She surmised before she continued.

 _ **The little girl stared at him blankly, her head tilted to the side as if she didn't know what to make of the new thing inside her home.**_

 _ **The boy stayed quiet, waiting for the girl to either scream or attack.**_

 _ **She did neither. In fact, she didn't do anything but stare at him. It made him uneasy.**_

' _I bet._ 'Blake thought feeling a little unnerved herself. Say something already!

 _ **The girl shuffled forward slowly, not taking her eyes away from him.**_

 _ **He felt his heart and breath stop.**_

Blake mimicked him.

 _ **She stood right over him as she stared into his eyes and tilted her head to the other side. She still had not said a word.**_

 _ **Why? Why didn't she say anything?**_

 _ **She started to lift her arm to him and he flinched back, expecting something painful.**_

Blake bit her lip at the tense atmosphere that was being created by the interaction between the two characters. Whatever happened was anyones guess.

 _ **He waited.**_

 _ **And waited, and waited, and waited some more. But nothing happened. He felt no pain, he didn't even feel her touch him.**_

 _ **Peeking his eyes open he looked over to her.**_

 _ **The bright blue and purple caught his eyes immediately.**_

 _ **Pinched between the little girls small and dainty fingers she held a small flower with white petals that were decorated with wavy blue and purple lines.**_

'... _wait_ ,'Blake thought,' _She's...giving him a flower?_ ' That was unexpected. But at the same time unbelievably adorable. She felt a wave of giddiness at the cute scene in her head.

' _Awww,_ 'She cooed.

 _ **Blinking in confusion, the boy looked back at her and saw her staring at him again. Though her eyes had changed. They were softer, more gentle than the blank canvas she had before. And her lips were tilted ever so slightly in what he guessed was a smile. It was so small he could hardly see it.**_

' _Take the flower take the flower!_ 'Blake thought excitedly. She suddenly started. Oh no...Blake has officially started to ship them. This is dangerous territory...if she's not careful, this could turn into an OTP.

' _Ozpin, I blame you for this._ '

 _ **Not really knowing what to do he started to reach for the flower.**_

' _Yes yes yes!_ '

...Oh Monty it's already a problem.

 _ **As soon as his fingers touched the petals however, he smacked the little flower out of her hand and shot up to barrel past her, not caring that he knocked her to the floor in his escape.**_

Blake felt a spark of vexation in her chest.

"Really, come on!"She groaned as she dropped her face into her pillow. So much for this being a cute first meeting.

 _ **Looking back at her he didn't notice the person entering the house. Crashing into the figure he stumbled back with a yelp of pain. Looking up, his heart stopped and his eyes widened in sheer terror.**_

Blake snapped out of her funk when she read this. Her heart started to pound in her chest and she felt her toes start to curl in her socks.

 _ **A murky white eye glared at him next to a cold black one.**_

She gulped.

 _ **It was her...the witch.**_

 _ **She was dressed in long and heavy robes, a wooden walking staff clasped into a tight fisted grip in her right hand. Her face, just like he imagined, was sagged and brittle with age. But right now, her features were twisted into a barely restrained snarl.**_

 _ **It was the scariest thing he'd ever seen.**_

' _Ok, things just took a turn for the worst._ 'Blake thought worryingly.

 _ **Her teeth grit in fury as she looked at the girl behind him who was just starting to get up from the floor and looked to him figuring out quickly that it was his doing. That seemed to enrage the old witch even more.**_

" _ **You,"She growled.**_

 _ **Her voice, cracked and haggard, sounding every bit like witch she was, was enough to make him flinch back in fear.**_

" _ **What are you doing here?"She seethed with a snarling lifting her sagging lips."Why are you in my home?"**_

 _ **He was too terrified to speak, his voice held back by the terror pounding heavily through his veins.**_

" _ **Well!"**_

 _ **He jumped back.**_

Blake jump too. This lady reminded her of Miss Goodwitch in a bad mood. And that made Blake fear her even more.

 _ **Seeing that the shivering little boy wasn't gonna speak, she sighed and felt her temper flicker out a little. But she didn't drop the fierce look in her one good eye.**_

" _ **Get out."She said coldly.**_

 _ **The boy was still to afraid to move, and this caused her temper to spike again. She grit her teeth.**_

" _ **Are you deaf and dumb?"She said hatefully."I said get out! GET OUT GET OUT!"**_

 _ **The boy started and burst out the door in a wild sprint for his life. He could only barely make out her threats through the pounding of his own heart in his ears.**_

" _ **Don't ever come back! Do you hear me?!"She roared.**_

 _ **He ran for all he was worth and didn't look back. If he did he would've seen the little girl standing in the doorway staring after him as he ran for his life.**_

 _ **And in a blinding flash of light everything was gone.**_

Blake let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. That was...something. A little blast from the past it seems. But now she only had more questions to be answered. But she'd worry about those later. So for now she continued reading.

 **His senses slowly started to come back to him. He became aware of the cold against his cheek and knew immediately he was resting against stone. His hearing started to return as well, he could vaguely hear the sound of the wind blowing softly around him. He tried to move his hands but all he got was a measly little twitch from his left hand and in his right hand he could only barely feel tightly clasped around something.**

 **The sword.**

' _I think this is the Wander I know_.'Blake thought curiously.

 **He tried to open his eyes but they were too heavy. So all he could do for the time was wait until his body was well enough to move again.**

 **Had he moved however, he would have seen one of the shadowed figures from before standing over his prone form, staring at him in a silent stare.**

' _That's not creepy at all,_ 'Blake shivered.

 **Feeling a little better, he moved his body again, this time with a little more success. He managed to get his arms under him and push his torso off the ground.**

 **Getting high enough he slipped his legs underneath to push himself to his feet.**

 **He stumbled a little before he steadied himself.**

 **He felt a wave of nausea pass over him that almost made him fall again, but with a shake of his head he steeled himself against the unsettling in his stomach.**

 **With tired eyes he looked around and his eyes widened to a degree when he saw he was back in the shrine of worship.**

Blake blinked in shock.

' _What? But...how?_ 'She thought in bewilderment.

 **Looking around in disbelief he blinked fiercely to reaffirm he wasn't still dreaming. But since he was still here, it proved that he was indeed, actually back in the temple.**

 **Looking back to the altar he sighed in relief.**

 **Mono was still there.**

' _Well that's good. Won't be any good if her body's taken.'_ Blake thought.

 **Walking up the steps leading to the altar, he sheathed the sword as he came upon her body.**

 **She hasn't moved an inch, not that he expected her too. She was just as he left her.**

 **Taking in her soft features, he actually felt himself give a soft smile. Over the past few days, whenever he looked at her, he had felt nothing but guilt and remorse. She was nothing but a reminder of his weakness and failure. Now...for the first time in a long time, he looked at her, and all he could feel was hope.**

Blake knew it was probably a bad idea to get so emotionally invested to these two, one of them was already dead for Oum's sakes...but she just couldn't stop herself from squealing internally. They were turning out to be a beautifully tragic couple!

 **His musings were interrupted by the trembling.**

 **Steadying himself on the vibrating floor he looked around in surprise until he found the source for the mini quake. On his right, he saw the trembling was originating from the statue closest to him, the one that resembled the minotaur.**

 **He watched in awe as the large idol shined brightly in a blinding white light before suddenly, it broke apart into several large fragments, and just like that, the statue, just like it's avatar, was gone.**

' _One down, fifteen to go.'_ Blake thought solemnly. The minotaur's death was still kinda sad to her, but if it meant Mono could come back...maybe it was meant to be. That still didn't make her feel better.

 **Letting his eyes stay on the ruins of the statue a little longer, the young man felt a heavy feeling settle in the room, one he was familiar, but not comfortable with; Dormin.**

' _Fantastic…'_ Blake thought. She just didn't trust him for some reason.

" **Thy next foe is…"His layered voice spoke from all sides."In the seaside cave...It moves slowly…"**

 **He felt a compelling force around his neck-probably Dormin-and let it turn his head to the statue across from the one currently destroyed.**

 **It resembled the minotaur, having the face and horns of a bull, but yet the way it was sculpted seemed different in a way he can't explain.**

" **Raise thy courage to defeat it…"Dormin proclaimed.**

 **Nodding his head in understanding he turned back to Mono.**

" **I was able to win because of you,"He said softly,"I was afraid I would die, but thoughts of you were what made me able to fight."**

 **He barely resisted the urge to reach out and run his finger through her hair. Even though he wanted to, so very badly.**

' _Okay, this is honestly just starting to get depressing,'_ Blake thought in exasperation. Seriously, her heart could only take so much.

" **I'm one step closer to you,"He said with conviction,"Just wait a little longer my love and I promise, you will live again."**

 **With those words he steeled his heart.**

 **He was startled out of his thoughts when he heard something, a soft clacking that was slowly getting louder. It sounded like...Blinking in surprise he stepped away from the altar and made his way down the stairs just as Agro came around the corner.**

"Agro!"Blake cheered.

She immediately shut-up and looked around the room cautiously as if expecting someone to barge in on her embarrassing moment.

It wasn't her fault the horse was awesome.

Calming herself down, but still keeping the happy smile on her face, she continued.

 **Lightly jogging up to the horse he smiled in amazement.**

 **Agro met him halfway and brought his muzzle down into the boy's face to nuzzle against.**

" **Okay, okay,"He laughed while leaning back,"I missed you too."**

 **Rubbing up and down his muzzle he stared at his steed in disbelief.**

" **How did you find me? How did you know I was here?"**

 **The horse snorted and stomped his front hoof, apparently giving him an answer. Too bad he couldn't understand.**

' _This horse...I need this in my life._ 'Blake thought resoloutely. In fact, she figured, everybody needs an Agro in their life. It'd make life in general so much more pleasant.

" **Well, i'm just glad you're here,"He smiled before his features fell to his determined mask,"Our fight's long from over old pal. We need to keep going, for Mono."**

 **And with that, he mounted his horse and they were off again.**

 **Running out into the outside of the temple he brought Agro to a halt in the bottom of the stairs where the sunlight shone brightly on him.**

 **Before he could pull the sword from its sheath, he felt the eerie sensation of Dormin speaking in his mind once more.**

" **If thou should findst an altar similar to that one,"He said as the wanderer felt his neck turned to look at the stone slate just underneath where Mono's body lay and saw the rock pulse with an otherworldly power.**

" **Offer a prayer before it and thy wounds shall be healed."**

 **When the feeling was gone, he felt himself shudder as a ghost of the sensation still lingered. And for some reason, Dormin's voice sounded louder in his head then before.**

' _If there's anyone with a semblance like that...I hope I never meet them._ 'Blake thought in disgust.

 **Shaking off the uncomfortable feeling he stored that information about the altars for later. It'd probably come in handy.**

 **Grabbing his sword he pulled it from its sheath and raised it into the air to catch the light.**

 **He watched as the beams spread out and converged and pointed to the north. Turning Agro into that direction, he spurred his partner forward.**

 **As he ran along the temple's west side, he was quick to come upon a clear path ahead over a land bridge that ran alongside the ivory bridge he used to reach the temple.**

 **Crossing the bridge was no real problem, he just had to be careful where he lead Agro, as some of the bridge was wet and brittle from the sea water that eroded some of the stone away.**

 **Reaching the end of the bridge, the wanderer saw the path had split into two directions. Not wanting to take a risk, he held up his sword and watched as the light pointed to take the path to the right.**

Blake really wished that sword existed, it'd be so convenient to have. She'd never get lost and she'd never lose anything again. If someone could invent something even remotely close to this it'd be the greatest thing since dramatic sliced bread.(A/N:I'll be so surprised if anyone knows where I referenced that from.)

 **As soon as Agro started to descend, the horse suddenly stopped and jerked back when a massive tremble shook the cliff side. Softly petting the horse's neck and whispering soothing words he was able to calm him down enough to continue forward.**

 **As they descended the canyon he noticed the light grow dimmer as the canyon walls started to block out the sun's rays.**

 **As they came to the bottom of the canyon, the young wanderer could feel the shift in Agro's steps from dirt to loose wet sand.**

 **Looking around the vast space, he blinked in confusion to see that the area was empty. There was no colossus to be found.**

Blake tilted her head in confusion. That was strange, did the sword somehow lead them in the wrong direction?

 **Bringing the sword back up, he caught whatever light he could in the darker canyon and watched as the light veered off to the north west. Frowning in confusion he steered Agro into the direction of the light and followed it for as long as he could, but that came to a stop-literally-when he was lead into a strange cliff face.**

 **Blinking in confusion he looked down at the sword quizzically.**

Black chuckled lightly at the idea of an ancient sword being on the fritz.

 **That's when it began.**

Blake stopped laughing.

 **The familiar feel of it was what warned him first. The constant and timed tremors. Sounding exactly like before, giant steps.**

 **He gulped slightly as he felt Agro shift in fear underneath him. He stared at the cliff face as he was made aware of the sound's origins. It was coming from behind the rocks.**

Blake's heart started to beat faster as she guessed what might happen next.

 **He only got a chance to peer forward and squint slightly to see between the cracks, and it's a good thing he did. For only a split second he had his only warning, and it was enough for him to turn Agro around and make the horse sprint in the other direction.**

 **It was a shining blue eye, the colossus was behind the cliff!**

 **A loud crash sounded behind him and he turned around to see the beast. He wished he didn't.**

Blake gulped loudly as she turned the page.

 **What was once a solid wall of uncompromising stone, was now a ruined pile of bolder and dust. Completely destroyed by the overwhelming power that the giant used to shatter the rock.**

' _Oh geez...this sounds like it might be a problem.'_ Blake thought fearfully.

 **Swinging his fearful horse back around he took time to study his new foe.**

 **He was right to say that the beast resembled the minotaur, it had the horns and face of a bull, it was also covered in the same brown fur and stone armor as it's brethren. But the similarities ended there however.**

 **One of its horns was missing, leaving the one on its right a measly little stub of bone. And this beast walked on all fours, resembling more of a mammoth than a bull with all its fur.**

 **The most notable thing however was its face.**

 **It's face was covered by mask of stone that completely hid all it's features, all except for the shining blue eyes that all colossus seemed to bare.**

' _So, it seems like all colossus seem to share these same characteristics. The fur, the armor, and the blue eyes. They probably change to orange as well, but that remains to be seen. I wonder, are the colossus a strange species or something else entirely?_ 'Blake wondered.

 **The boy felt his heart start to race and sweat start to gather around his brow. His grip on the reins tightened as he stared at the new giant in front of him.**

 **He had slain one colossus already, he knew he could fight, and he knew he could win. That still didn't stop the fear however. He didn't think he could ever do this and not be afraid.**

 **Agro seemed to agree with his feelings.**

 **His companion was shifting fearfully on his feet and was huffing heavily, he could feel his desire to run from the monster in front of them, but he would have to disappoint his companion on that.**

 **He was done running away.**

' _You've gotta respect his willpower. Even though he's afraid, he doesn't back down. A good trait for a hero._ 'Blake thought while nodding in approval.

 **Leaning in he whispered,"It's alright boy it's alright. Shh shh, I know."**

 **He ran his hand up and down his neck and gave a few calming pats.**

" **I can tell you wanna run, but we can't. We have to be brave now. Remember, we're doing this for Mono."**

 **At her name, the horse stopped.**

" **We have to do this,"He said with steel in his voice. Looking back up he saw their opponent start to make its way to them. But it's steps were slow and sluggish, it's own weight apparently working against it.**

 **Grinding his teeth in determination he sat up in the saddle and glared daggers at the giant mammoth.**

" **Let's show this thing what we're made of."**

' _Hell yeah._ 'Blake smirked.

 **And with kick to the side, Agro was charging forward.**

 **Pulling the sword up into the light, he saw as it shone onto the beast's massive hooves, and figured that was where he needed to attack first.**

 **Sheathing the sword he pulled off his bow from his shoulders and loaded it with an arrow. Taking aim he pointed it at the giant's front left hoof. When its hoof came down on it's step he let go of the string and watched at the arrow soared for it's target, but the arrow merely bounced off the tough hoof.**

"Aw man."Blake moaned.

" **Damn it!"He swore as he made Agro circle back around.**

 **It looks like that's not the spot he's supposed to strike. The sword clearly pointed at the hooves, but specifically where? The entirety of the hoof was surrounded by the hard material so where was he supposed to-**

 **He paused.**

 **Wait...the hoof protected the soft flesh from all sides, but if it was anything like Agro's, then that meant he could do some damage if he struck under the hooves.**

Blake nodded.

' _Good good, now, how are you gonna do that?_ '

 **If this was gonna work, he had to get behind it.**

 **With a plan now in place, he flicked his reins and made Agro run back to the slow moving giant. As they got closer, his eyes met with the mammoth's and he was staring into the calming ocean blue eyes of a colossus once again.**

 **He could admit this much, it's eyes were a sight to behold. He could stare mesmerized into those orbs for days.**

 **But he didn't have time to waste.**

 **With a shake of his head the spell was broken and he glared heatedly into the beast's curious gaze.**

Blake felt uncomfortable from the sentence. Something about it seemed kinda, harsh.

 **Circling around until they were actually behind the humongous being, the boy loaded another arrow and aimed.**

' _ **Come on come on**_ **,'He thought as he pulled back the string and waited for one of it's back legs to lift up.**

 **When it's left leg lifted he was greeted the sight of the underside of its hoof to be glowing, and that was his signal.**

' _ **Now!**_ **'**

 **He released the string and the arrow flew.**

 **Before the leg could place itself back on the ground, the arrow embedded itself in the soft flesh underneath, and with a pained trumpet, the giant's leg crumbled and the back left leg was on it's knee.**

' _Yes!_ 'Blake cheered. Nice job, but don't let up.

 **Having no time to celebrate, the boy ran on pure instinct and leapt off of Agro to run up to the beast's downed leg.**

 **He was able to latched on to its fur just as it stood back up.**

 **Feeling the familiar rush of being lifted into the air, he didn't let it bother him and just climbed up it's thigh until he reached its back.**

 **All the while, the giant mammoth had started to shake and buck to the best of its ability.**

 **Once he was safely atop the beast, he clung to a spot in between segments of its armor and held on while the beast continued its attempt to dislodge him.**

 **When it finally settled down, he stood up and pulled out his sword.**

 **As he held it up to the light, he saw the beams point right in front of him, right to its tailbone where the familiar glowing mark was held.**

' _ **That's...actually very fortuitous**_ **.'He thought in surprise.**

' _I agree._ 'Blake thought. Unless the spot's gonna move like how it did for the minotaur.

Blake winced.

She hoped she didn't just jinx anything.

 **Not complaining over the easy target, the boy stumbled over to the glowing mark and fell to his knees over the spot.**

 **Holding the sword in a reverse grip, he raised it in the air and stabbed it down into the mark.**

 **The colossus seized, the sudden sharp sting of the sword making it release a cry in pain.**

 **Yanking the sword out with a sickening sound, he steadied himself when the giant started to move again, and drove it back in, deeper this time.**

 **And the colossus faltered in its step while releasing another cry of pain from the agony.**

Gripping the edge of her book, Blake felt herself start to get anxious. This one seemed to be in a lot of pain. She hoped Wander finished it off quick.

 **Pulling the sharp blade out of the giant once more, the boy was assaulted when the black smoke from earlier sprung out and stung his face with heat and pressure.**

 **Blocking the smoke with his free hand he looked down and saw that the glowing mark was fading. It's radiance slowly disappearing until it was gone.**

 **The mark had moved.**

Biting her lip, Blake didn't know whether to laugh or wince.

She had completely jinxed it.

 **The boy stared at the now empty spot for a solid ten seconds. A burning heat built up in his abdomen and he could actually feel his eye twitch in vexation. So he decided to let it out.**

" **Gods Dammit!"He screamed.**

Blake couldn't stop herself. She laughed.

"Hahahaha!"

Anyone who knew team RWBY well enough would be confused to hear such an unfamiliar laugh come from their dorm.

For a good long minute she laughed and chuckled at the boy's misfortune. It wasn't right to laugh she knew...but it was just so funny to her! Especially in a situation like this, it just made it all the more comical!

"Hahaha! Ohh boy...ohhh that was good,"She breathed while wiping a tear away. It was nice to laugh from a deep healthy place every once in awhile.

When her laughing fit finally subsided she continued.

 **Swearing and grumbling words that would've made Mono blush and scold him later he let himself simmer in his anger for a few more seconds before he breathed a sigh.**

 **No time to gripe, he had to keep going.**

 **Standing to his feet he let the blade capture the sun and let it point him to the other side of the beast.**

 **He climbed on top of its armor along its spine and ran the length until he reached it's right shoulder.**

 **Jumping down he rolled into a stand rushed forward to the head where he assumed the mark would be. And he was right.**

 **Coming onto the mark he slid to his knees and held the sword over his head, swiftly striking, he buried the sword in the giant's head.**

 **The mammoth cried out in agony as the swords sting course through its head.**

 **He was quickly able to pull the sword out before he stabbed again.**

 **Renewed in it's frenzy the giant beast shook its head with a fierce vigor, trying to fling the boy off it's head before he could hurt it again.**

 **He clung to its head with all the strength he could in his left arm, the other one unfortunately held onto the sword.**

 **But sadly, it wasn't enough.**

Blake's heart stopped. Oh no!

 **His grip laxed for just a second and he was thrown to the side of its head, just barely stopping himself from falling.**

Blake's heart beat like a drum in her ears, she swallowed nervously as she hoped he didn't fall to his death.

 **He layed on his back, breathing heavily as he felt a wave of exhaustion claim him. It seemed his body wasn't all that rested after all. If he survived this, he needed to rest for a while.**

 **But now, he just needed to stay alive and end this soon.**

' _I thought it was a little too soon for him to be able to move onto the next colossus,_ 'Blake thought.

 **He felt his chance come when the beast stopped it's shaking, as quickly as possible, he stood from his prone position and stumbling over to the weakly glowing marker. Teeth grit and eyes blazing with killer intent, he lifted his blade with both hands tightly grasping the handle and struck.**

' _It's weird. From that sentence, it almost seemed like...Wander was the bad guy._ 'Blake thought in concern as the image of a snarling and crazy eyed boy stuck in her head.

' _I mean, I know that's not the case but still…_ '

 **The mammoth colossus took one more slow futile step as it let out a weak trumpet from the finishing blow.**

 **Succumbing from its injuries, the giant beast moaned in pain as it fell to it's side with a deafening boom, spraying sand into the wind.**

**Falling from on top of it's head, the boy took a few steps back from the dead beast before he leaned forward on his knees and caught his breath.**

 **A loud neigh made him lift his head and he saw that Agro was calling out to him.**

 **He only laughed.**

" **Right in the same place I left you."**

Blake shook her head. Oh Agro, what would we do without you?

 **Another sound caught his attention. One that filled him with dread.**

 **Looking back at the dead colossus, like before, the giant's body was blackening, shadow encompassing the entire body. And black tentacles were swimming out from where the mark was into the air.**

 **It wasn't long before they started to spin towards him.**

' _Oh no._ 'Blake thought in worry.

" **Oh no."He said when he saw them coming to him. He had enough sense in him to run this time.**

 **He turned and sprinted for all he was worth, his legs pounding furiously against the sand to outrun the dark tendrils.**

 **But he wasn't fast enough.**

 **Just like before, they passed through his clothes and descended right into his body.**

 **He gasped and clawed at his abdomen to somehow relieve the intense pain that seeped into his skin.**

 **Gurgling and twitching slightly he fell to his knees as the last tendril entered his chest.**

 **He fell face first into the dirt and didn't fight as the darkness dragged him into unconsciousness. The last thing he heard, was Agro's worried neighing.**

Flipping the page she saw the beginning of chapter four.

Blake sighed.

"Interesting chapter,"She noted,"It seems like every chapter I read only leaves me with more questions. I wonder when I'll start getting answers."

She shrugged.

"I guess I'll just have to keep reading."She laughed."As if there's anythingwrong with that."

She started when she heard her scroll chime.

Cursing whoever interrupted her, Blake pulled her scroll out of her jacket pocket and saw she had a text from Yang.

Opening it, it read: WHERE ARE YOU?! Class started half n hour ago!

Feeling her heart drop into her stomach, Blake dared a look at the clock and realized that yes...it has been a whole half hour since class started. It seems that she had lost track of time while reading. Again.

Feeling the blood in her own veins turn to ice, Blake had only one thought going through her mind.

' _Mother of Craaaaaap!_ '

 **X.x.X.x.X.x**

 **Alright guy, here it is.**

 **Sorry this took longer, I've been...preoccupied as of late. Nothing bad, just other stuff.**

 **Sorry if this one is kinda...bad. Yeah, Quadratus is not really my favorite Colossus. Forgive me, I'll do better next time.**

 **Before anything though, has anybody seen the E3 trailers!**

 **Shadow of the Colossus remake for PS4 yo! It's gonna be so awesome to see everything with next gen graphics!**

 **Anyways like always, review and give feedback.**

 **No seriously please** **REVIEW!**

 **Til next update,**

 **GhostAngel14**


	4. Chapter 4: Gaius

Chapter 4

 **I know, i'm late!**

 **But I didn't give up!**

 **Everybody just shakes their head in disbelief. But seriously this story is still going. Sorry for the delay, but hey, longer chapter to make up for it! Hopefully...please don't kill me...**

 **I wanna say thank you to everybody who took the time to stop and give me some reviews! I can't talk no junk though, I'm usually to lazy to review too.**

 **Which is why this means more to me that other people do it.**

 **Speaking of said people-let's take some time to acknowledge those who reviewed for the last chapter!**

 **dragoncraftertex: I'm glad to know you enjoy this so far. I can't tell you how stressed I was to start the novelization! It's not so bad but still intimidating. I feel like if I miss one little detail then i'm gonna have somebody try to jump down my throat. Yeah, I didn't wanna do a thing where I do a "self-insert" of being an omnipotent being and just stick Blake in a room with food and drink. The idea is kinda overused. And shame on you, you need sleep!...again can't talk no type of junk, I do the same thing all the time.**

 **kyro2009: I beg to differ yo, the thing just didn't click with me ya know? Ever write something and just find everything wrong with it, fix it, and you still see mistakes. Even if I had a Beta, I'd still probably say something is wrong. An author's mind is a conflicting thing. Oh and don't worry, you'll see where this thing is going. Don't you worry about that heh heh.(I gotta admit though, i'm appreciating you reviewing every chapter so far. You the real MVP!)**

 **ultima-owner: Wait...the latter doesn't happen to you?...so what the heck makes me so special than?! I'd like to fall asleep normally instead of having to slay a giant kaiju with inefficient 12 century weapons first! It's not fair nor is it funny! You think I enjoy it? I don't! I've slain so many monsters man-and I can tell ya this much; KING KONG AINT GOT NOTHIN ON ME!**

 **Wolfenheart: I think I enjoyed the argument a little too much too. It's actually very fun to write Nora. It's like whatever crazy thought you have can go down as her dialogue and nobody would say it doesn't make sense. Ehem, not that I do that because I take my writing very seriously...so yeah. But i'm glad I nailed the others too. That is a perfect description of that colossus. Seriously, that's exactly what it felt like! Thank you!**

 **Guest: Yes...yes it is. I mean no...but yes. Are you hoping for soul crushing despair and sadness or just shock? Because one of those is less morally questioning than the other...when you figure it out let me know cause I can't tell ya. A reaction is a reaction.**

 **Once more, thank you to the reviewers of chapter three! Now let's begin.(P.S, anybody else caught in the trap of RWBY Chibi. I'm in too deep. If there's a way out...please lend a hand to the local brother.)**

 **Disclaimer:RWBY is owned and created by Rooster Teeth and Shadow of the Colossus is owned and made by Sony and Team ICO.**

'Normal Speech'

' _Thoughts'_

' **Reading'**

X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Last Time

 _She started when she heard her scroll chime._

 _Cursing whoever interrupted her, Blake pulled her scroll out of her jacket pocket and saw she had a text from Yang._

 _Opening it, it read:_ _WHERE ARE YOU?! Class started half an hour ago!_

 _Feeling her heart drop into her stomach, Blake dared a look at the clock and realized that yes...it has been a whole half hour since class started. It seems that she had lost track of time while reading. Again._

 _Feeling the blood in her own veins turn to ice, Blake had only one thought going through her mind._

' _Mother of Craaaaaap!'_

X.x.X.x.X.x.X

There was only a few number of times where Blake actually felt like she was utterly and completely screwed. Most of the time she was confident enough in her own skills and abilities to get her by. So no, the sheer and utter sense of being completely doomed was not common to her. This time however…

Blake was trying her hardest to keep her eyes forward and staring into the circular specs of one Professor(Doctor)Bartholomew Oobleck, and not seem as intimidated as she actually felt. But since all she could see was her own reflection, she was basically just staring into her own guilt ridden eyes. And that was doing little to help her right now!

Finding out that she had missed a whole hour of class because she was reading had put her in a state of catatonic shock for about a whole minute, she only snapped out of it when another message came through telling her to, in Yang's words, 'GET HER MANGY HIDE TO CLASS ASAP!' While a part of her thought it was a little racist, it certainly spurred her into action. She had implored every stealth tactic she could think of to try and get into class without the coffee addicted teacher noticing. She thought she had gotten away with it when she had snuck through the classroom doors and into her spot next to team- without them or the professor noticing mind you-but was proven wrong when Oobleck immediately spun on his heels and stared her down behind his glasses.

'Ah miss Belladonna, so nice of you to join us! Please, I would ask that you stay after class so we can have a brief talk.'is what he had said.

Which basically translated to,'You're late, see me after class so we can discuss the consequences.'

So after staying for what remained of class she was now standing in front of the green eyed man and awaiting her punishment.

His foot had been tapping rapidly and soundly against the wooden stage of the classroom for over 5 minutes now, and he had yet to say a word. If he didn't do something soon Blake was sure she was gonna explode from this much tension. She had started to feel sweat slowly start to run down her brow, and was she even breathing?

"Miss Belladonna,"He finally spoke startling the poor girl."I like to think I'm pretty fair in terms of how I run my classroom. I only ask for the respect I deserve as a teacher. That includes your attention, your dedication, and above all, your attendance."

He leaned forward, giving Blake an even better view of her nervous eyes.

"Now tell me miss Belladonna, what makes you so special compared to everyone else as to where you are allowed to miss half of my class and expect to get away with it? Hm? Come now speak up."

That was a loaded question if Blake ever heard one. No answer was the right answer. So she simply kept her mouth shut and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

' _I'm not gonna break, i'm not gonna break._ 'She chanted in her head as her heart started to beat furiously. Pity she wasn't doing a good job of convincing herself.

"No answer then?"

Silence was the reply.

"I see."He nodded as he stood up again.

"Miss Belladonna I do not take kindly to my students believing that they do not to adhere to the rules as everybody else does. It's unfortunately a common problem among students here. They think because they made it into one of the top combat schools in the world that they are untouchable."

He shook his head and sighed.

"I know that is not the case with you miss Belladonna so I kindly ask you, what is the reason for your tardiness?"

She gulped. Please don't let this sound as bad as she thinks it will.

"I…"She started."I-I was…"Dear Monty could he not look at her! Staring into her own reflection was making this so much more difficult. Her own guilt was eating away at her.

"Yeeees,"He drawled patiently.

His calm was making her panic internally. And in a split second of paranoia and nerves, she blurted out the first thing passable in her mind.

"I was working on a secret assignment from Ozpin!"

Total silence. He neither moved nor flinched. His face was the picture of stoicness.

' _Oh no_ ,'Blake thought in dismay.

Being late was one thing, but being caught lying about being late was even worse. Well, it wasn't a complete lie, more like a...partial truth?

' _This is not gonna end well._ '

"Working on a secret assignment for Ozpin."He repeated slowly."Is that right?"

' _May as well go with it_.'She thought with a nod.

"That's right."

He nodded his head muttering,"I see."

They stood in silence for a couple more seconds before he spoke again.

"Miss Belladonna, I must say, I am quite disappointed,"

' _I knew it wouldn't work!_ 'Blake thought in a panic.

"I mean, if anything, I would think that Ozpin would at least advise me that he's using our students for such things!"

…

Say what?

She must've said this out loud since he answered her,"Indeed! If Ozpin has a student working on a project so secret that not even we, the teachers, should know then he could at least give us the courtesy of having us know that said student will be busy and somewhat indisposed from class. It would save all of us a boatload of trouble im sure!"

His fast paced speech was near impossible to follow, but Blake heard enough to know that he had apparently fallen for her lie. Which was why she had to fight the urge to gawk at the green haired man.

' _He actually believed me?!_ 'She thought in sheer shock.

A part of her thought she was being tricked by the coffee addicted professor. This just couldn't be real. Right?!

"If I may be so bold miss Belladonna, might I inquire as to the nature of what this secret assignment entails!"

Realising that he was asking her a question, she quickly snapped out of her stupor and focused on him.

"He…"She stretched,"Asked me to...analyze something for him,"These half-truths have really been saving her lately,"And every once in awhile to come to him with what I figure out."There, that sounded passable enough.

"Hmm,"The doctor said."Intriguing. Can you tell me exactly what it is?"

All these questions are very unnecessary. Anymore and he might get a completely honest answer out of her.

"I can't say exactly,"She began warily,"But it's a...very old text."

Yes! That's it! The book looked old enough to say that, so yet again, another half truth saves the day.

"An old text you say,"He says while leaning in closer, an interested glint shining from his glasses,"Miss Belladonna do you think perchance that I could take a look, I would like to give a try at deciphering this old text. I am Beacon's only resident archeologist after all?"

' _...Damn it!_ 'Blake swore. This completely backfired.

"I don't think that's a good idea,"She said with a shaky smile,"The Headmaster trusted me with it, and he honestly didn't really want anyone else to know about it. I've actually said way more than I really should have."

The good Doctor seemed to deflate with the news and Blake can say that she honestly felt bad for it.

"I see."He said, his voice slower with disappointment."Quite a shame, I would've loved to give this ancient text a look myself. But I suppose I'll just have to get over it, as they say."

Blake bit her lip as she felt her conscious stir in her gut.

"I'm sorry Professor,"She apologized.

He stood up and fixed pushed his slanted glasses up his nose.

"That's Doctor miss Belladonna, we've been over this,"He sighed,"And it's quite alright. I just wish I had gotten a chance to see for myself what was so important. I wish you the best of luck in deciphering this mysterious text miss Belladonna."

"Thank you."Blake said feeling her guilt set in like a stone over her heart.

"Now then,"He said with a friendly smile,"Why don't I write you a pass so that you will not be marked tardy on my part."

A part of her wanted to refuse the offer, but before she could voice an argument, he had zoomed behind his desk, wrote the pass, and was in front of her again holding out the slip for her to take.

Blake had never felt so bad to receive a pass for being late.

 **Combat Class**

The clang of metal against metal sounded strongly in the dimly lit arena. A male student in light leather armor was shot back from a strong hit but was forced to deflect or block when a rapid stream of bullets was shot at him with his sword and dagger. He skidded to a stop near the middle of the arena and was quickly forced to cross his blades over his head when a strong broadsword came in for a crushing blow from above.

Grunting in exertion, his brown eyes met with the excited gleam of his opponent's blue eyes. A female student garbed in shining armor and colorful robes.

The girl gave him a teasing wink before she pulled back her sword and swung with both of her gloved hands on the sword's hilt and sent him to the other side of the ring once more.

The rest of the students, safe in the raised seats of the amphitheater, cheered as the fight between the two became more intense by the minute. But Blake was dead to the whole thing.

She had arrived to class a few minutes ago, changed into her combat gear, and had showed miss Goodwitch her pass as to not be chewed out by the strictest teacher in the school and had found her seat next to the rest of her team. She could feel their eyes on her as she sat down and 'watched' the fight in front of her. They didn't ask anything and she didn't offer any explanation.

Blake wasn't sure how much longer she could stand having to use all these lies and half-truths. It was beginning to really get to her.

And from the looks her team was shooting her, they could tell she was seriously being bothered by something. And it wasn't long before they finally struck and cornered her into confessing her feelings. And oh boy she couldn't wait for that…

She was taken out of her thoughts when the lights slowly came back on, signaling the end of a match. Curiously she noted that the girl had been the one to lose, surprising seeing how she had been knocking the boy around the arena this whole time. Maybe she should've been paying attention.

"Excellent match you two,"Miss Goodwitch complimented as the boy helped the pouting girl from the floor."Let this all be a lesson to you, no matter what direction a fight seems to be going, always be ready for things to take a turn in an unexpected direction." The woman checked her scroll.

"It seems we have just enough time for one more match. Are there any volunteers?"She said looking in the throng of first years.

A single hand went up.

"Ah, mr. Bronzewing, thank you for volunteering."

The young man nodded his head and made his way down to the arena floor.

"Would anyone else like to volunteer, or do I have to pick?"She said with searching eyes. Seeing how nobody raised their hand the blonde headmistress sighed in exasperation.

"Very well then, I'll decide."

Looking among the students she saw some who looked uncaring, some who looked eager and willing, and some who didn't even meet her gaze so she wouldn't pick them. But one pair of eyes looked very distracted. Well, that won't do at all.

"Miss Belladonna,"She called.

Blake started at having her name called.

"You've been rather quiet these last few sessions, why don't you come down and face mr. Bronzewing? Besides, think of this as a punishment for being late to my class."

The young woman swore under her breath. Today just wasn't her day.

Knowing that arguing with the her would only bring disaster, she wordlessly got up from her seat and descended into the arena.

Her team watched her the whole way.

When she got down to the ring she was greeted with Dove stretching his limbs while keeping his squinted gaze on her. If she was supposed to feel intimidated, she didn't know.

"Alright, the combatants are set,"Miss Goodwitch announced tapping a few more commands into her tablet. When both of their respected aura bars were loaded onto the monitor above them she nodded affirmatively.

"Normal rules apply,"She said to the both of them."The match ends when either someone's aura levels reaches red or when one gives up. Any attempt to continue the match beyond such will result in harsh punishment. Understood."

Receiving a nod from both of them she stepped back.

"Good, match begins in ten seconds."

The blonde haired member of team CRDL pointed at her and made a motion of dragging his thumb across his neck.

She merely rolled her eyes. Despite the boy's attitude however, Blake felt her heartbeat start to pick up as adrenaline slowly started to pump into her veins. It had been a while since she had sparred in combat class. Maybe a good bout was just what she needed to take her mind off of everything.

Taking Gambol Shroud off her back she wrapped her fingers tightly around the hilt and tensed when she heard Goodwitch speak.

"Begin."

He shot forward.

Blake shifted to the right and raised her sword to block the boy's bronze gunblade. Their swords met with a deafening clang of metal. Pushing against each other, they grit their teeth in attempt to overpower one another. They both retreated from the deadlock a second later.

Blake's eyes scanned him for an opening, and seeing one she rushed forward to struck at his left. Dove turned and deflected her strike and lashed with a swing to the head that she ducked under and dove away when he attempted to stab downwards.

Getting back to her feet she ran back to him and made several swings for his unguarded areas, but the armored boy was quick and was able to deflect all of her attacks in the nick of time with his short sword.

Having enough defending, he blocked one more strike before pushing her away and lashing out with a wide horizontal slash that she stepped back to avoid.

Blake raised Gambol Shroud to block the strike to her head before dropping it to defend her side from a hard swing that left her arms tingling from the clash.

She spun around a stab before lashing out with a kick to his ribs that made him stumble. Seeing a chance, Blake sprung forward to deliver multiple quick slashes to his armored torso that left the young man stumbling back farther. With a cry she hit him with one more strike to the chest that made him fall to the ground.

Breathing a little faster, Blake felt a few droplets of sweat start to gather around the crown of her head. Her muscles were tighter and the adrenaline in her body was giving her tunnel vision. Despite this however, the whole sensation of letting herself get lost in the fight was helping her forget her worries. Right now, their was no lies, no fears, no Adam, just her, here and now.

Blake actually felt her lips lift at the ends when she saw Dove steadily stand back up and grip his weapon with a new resolve.

The more serious look in his eyes made her blood pump harder.

Good, it looks like they were done warming up.

Refocusing on her opponent, Blake dashed to him with Gambol Shroud reared back to strike. The boy tensed and readied himself.

Just as she was about to reach him, she jumped into the air and struck with a spin in midair for his head. The clang of metal told her he had deflected her.

Landing in a crouch she spun around to hit him with a low swipe to the legs, but the blonde had back flipped from his position, successfully dodging her attack. Seeing her prone on the ground he advanced to slash across her face, but once more, Blake had rolled away from his attack.

Blake stopped her roll to push herself back up and turn back to her enemy, just in time to see him rushing her with his blade ready to hack away her aura. But unseen by him, Blake had grabbed onto the handle of her blade and pulled it from its sharped sheath. So he was unprepared when Blake parried his blade with her katana and struck him with her sheath's sharp edge.

He let out a grunt in surprise as he stumbled back from her surprise attack. His squinted eyes narrowed as re-thought his plan of attack against her. Her dual blades now gave her the advantage over his short one handed gunblade.

While now would've been a perfect time to attack, Blake let him collect his thoughts for the simple fact that she wanted to enjoy this fight for as long as possible. The addictive sound of her heart in her ears drowned out any rational thinking she would usually be having.

Dove cracked his neck and glared at her before he charged forward with a yell.

Using both blades to deflect his overhead strike, Blake spun to his right to strike with her katana which he hastily blocked before having to defend his other side from her cleaver/sheathe. Dove then leaned his head back when Blake attempted to 'uppercut' him with her katana.

He grit his teeth when he felt his chin be grazed by the sharp tip of the sword. That had to cost a bit of aura.

Backpedaling, he got some distance between them to get some breathing room. Blake didn't let him.

The blade of her katana shrunk and folded over the sword's guard as she activated the pistol function of her weapon. Leveling her gun at the blonde huntsman, she fired off multiple shots at him.

The boy spun his sword around his body to deflect the bullets before pointing the tip of his sword at her. Knowing what he was doing, she took off in a run to try to stop him.

She didn't have nearly enough time.

Pulling the hidden trigger underneath the guard of his sword, Dove returned fire, shooting his gunblade to chip away at her aura.

Blake swore as she felt several bullets impact her before she lifted her cleaver and blocked the rest of the bullets with the flat side of her blade. When she was close enough she took a swing at his torso that he nimbly dodge with corkscrew to the side.

As he backed off Blake looked up and saw that her Aura had taken a decent drop from the bullets that hit her. She was nearly in the yellow. Dove was already in the yellow, due to her attacks from earlier. The match was actually pretty close.

Faintly she could hear the sounds of the other students cheering, most notably Ruby. She could see her waving the team's flag as she cheered for her. The thought made her smile. Where did they even get that flag anyway?

Hearing Dove charge broke her out of her musings as she blocked with her sheathe before unfolding her katana and warding him off with a quick slash.

Blake advanced with a horizontal double slash that he leapt back to avoid before he shot off two more bullets.

Blake tilted her head to the left then right, avoiding the shots but not being fast enough to see Dove step forward and slash across her chest.

The boy smirked before his smile fell when Blake seemingly disappeared with a flicker of shadow.

Then his eyes widened as he felt a slash at his back.

Hastily turning, he brought his sword up to block her swords next attack. Pushing her katana aside he swung and cut her along her cheek, but just like before, the image flickered and vanished.

Cursing in vexation, the boy swung around to block her attack this time.

The match progressed like this for the next two minutes.

Blake would use her clones to take the hit and strike from the unguarded side, and Dove would do his best to block whatever strike he could.

Blake jumped into the air and reared back for a strike but had to leave a clone to take the hit when Dove swung upwards. Falling back down, she dashed forward to deliver a slash across his stomach before retreating with a clone to take the retaliation strike.

Dove grit his teeth in fury and abandoned any sense of strategy as he ran after her retreating form.

The boy swung his sword in an array of fast paced strikes that forced Blake on the defensive. Dodging, blocking, and deflecting were her only options as she backpedaled from the frustrated huntsman.

Ducking under a swing, Blake spun to deflect the next hit before lashing out with her own barrage.

The two unknowingly locked in a dance of blades that made their audience above cheer even louder.

As Blake reared her cleaver back for another attack, Dove suddenly jumped over her before her attack could connect and landed behind her to slash at her back.

Blake grunted from the sting of the sword before spinning and blocking his next slash with her katana.

They stood in a deadlock as neither wanted to retreat from the show of dominance.

"You're not too bad Belladonna."The boy grunted as he applied more pressure.

"Same to you,"Blake retorted,"You're quick. And that sword of yours makes it easy to swing and get a lot of attacks. But that let me see your weakness."

"Oh?"He growled,"And what's that?"

"You're like me in that sense,"Blake smirked."You focus so much on dodging and not being hit, that when you actually do get hit, you're not able to handle too much punishment. In other words, your endurance in low."

"Is that a fact?"He sneered as he shoved her away and began a new string of attacks that she was able to sidestep and deflect.

"Yes,"Blake said as she blocked a stab and ducked a horizontal swing."And I'll prove it to you."

Leaving a clone to launch herself back, Blake sheathed her sword and held Gambol Shroud behind her as she pumped her aura into the bladed sheathe. The cleaver like weapon glowed with a purple energy as Blake filled her weapon with more power.

Dove saw what she was doing, and honestly, he didn't want to stop her. He wanted to prove her wrong and show that he was tougher than she thought. So he stood his ground, and held up the flat side of his blade to take the brunt of the attack.

Seeing him fall for the bait, Blake smirked. Just as she planned.

Feeling the attack reach its apex, Blake released a shout as she slashed her weapon and let out a glowing purple arc of energy from her cleaver.

The aura attack flew across the stage and in a few seconds, impacted against Dove's blade.

The youth grunted from the force the attack hit his sword with and tried to push back. But unfortunately, it wasn't budging nearly enough as he thought it would. His eyes widened slightly when he felt himself start to be pushed back!

His boots scraped against the floor as he slowly started to be pushed away from the surprising force of the aura attack.

He grit his teeth as his arms started to weaken. Trying to step forward proved futile as the attack continued to pushed him backwards.

With a pained yell he gave one last shove before the attack overpowered him and hit home right across his torso.

Grunting in pain, he was launched back before bouncing across the floor and skidding to a halt before miss Goodwitch herself.

"And that's the match."She called before the lights lit the area once more.

"Not a bad match you two, your swordsmanship is top notch. However, I have a critique for the both of you,"She said as stepped over Dove and made her way to the center of the arena.

"During your bout I noticed you both do the same thing. You let your opponent gather time to either think about their next move,"She looked to Blake,"Or ready their attack."She looked to Dove before pushing her glasses up her nose.

"I realise this is a controlled classroom set-up, but you can't allow yourself to become complacent in these things. Do not give your adversary time to think, you must utilise any advantage you have. That is true in tournament and real life battles. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes miss Goodwitch."Blake said.

Glynda turned to Dove waiting for his response.

"Mr. Bronzewing, do I make myself clear?"

The prone huntsman lifted his hand and gave a weak thumbs up before dropping his arm.

"Good, class dismissed. Have a good day students."

 **Team RWBY Dorm**

Yang could say that she honestly wasn't the smartest when it came to certain things. Like history, math, dust science, or other things along those lines. But she liked to think she was pretty knowledgeable when it came to people. Especially the people closest to her. And right now she could tell, her partner was definitely NOT ok.

The match she just had was proof enough to this. Sure, everything seemed fine, she still fought like herself, but something was...different.

Blake was a calculated fighter, she usually thought of the next move before she made it. This time however, for the majority it, she was mostly just fighting by instinct. Charging in and reacting as she needed to.

That was more Yang's style than anyone else.

For whatever reason, Blake just threw herself into the fight, regardless of how she might've gotten hurt. And again, that was Yang's style!

Something was definitely not right. Something smelled fishy, and the cat's breath reeked of it. Heh heh, gotta remember that one later.

As soon as they had stepped in the room, Blake had announced that she needed a shower and had been in the bathroom for about 15 minutes now. Whether she actually needed one or just wanted to avoid the talk she knew was coming was anyones guess.

So while their black themed team member was washing up, the rest of the team was having a little meeting regarding their faunus teammate.

"Soooo…"Yang exaggerated from atop her bunk."Is anyone else in agreement that we seriously need to talk to Blake?"

"I concur,"Weiss agreed with a nod."Something is seriously not right here. I mean, we already suspected something was up, but it's becoming more apparent as time goes on. Sleeping in, missing class, that strange match she had today."

"Not to mention she's been giving us the silent treatment,"Yang brought up. She paused at an afterthought.

"Well that part isn't so strange, but it's more than usual lately. I'm actually starting to get worried about this."

"I am too,"Weiss sighed as she sat on her own bunk,"I understand her not being the most open of individuals but still, I wish she'd at least communicate a little more."

"Yeah,"Yang slumped on her bed."But it's not like we can change her. We can only do our best with what we got, even though what we've got is next to nothing."

Weiss blinked in surprise.

"That was the most mature thing I've heard you say."

Yang blinked as well before her face morphed into a horrified expression.

"You're right. This isn't like me, I need to be myself again! Pun book, where's my pun book!"

Weiss stared blandly as she watched Yang give a frantic search for the book before pulling a thick yellow hardcover from her pillow case. It was titled, "The Worst of Remnant, Puns & All-Volume 1 of 12"

Sweet Monty, there's eleven other monstrosities like that?!

Yang held the book out in front of her and frantically turned the pages until she found a page that made her eyes sparkle. Weiss didn't like that look.

"So, A clown opened the door for me yesterday-"

"Please don't do this…"

"I thought it was a nice jester!"  
"..."

"No, alrighty then...How do you make antifreeze?"

"Yang-"

"You steal her blanket!"

"Sweet merciful Oum Yang I am going to kill you."

"The furniture store kept calling me to come back, but all I wanted was one night stand!"

"YANG!"

Ruby just sat at the desk and sighed as her partner and sister once more dissolved into a heated argument. She was internally debating about whether she should tell the rest of her team about what Blake told her earlier. But the older girl was adamant about being the one to actually be the one to confess. So she merely stayed quiet.

The loud argument was brought to a close however when the door to the bathroom opened and out stepped Blake in a fresher pair of clothes.

However when the girl looked up and saw the eyes of her team drilling into her, she could only think one thing in her head.

' _Oh crap._ '

Blake had just finished dressing into a clean pair of her combat attire and had wanted to just lay in her bed and rest. But she had completely forgotten about the questions her team would have for her. And a good part of her would like to bet they weren't letting her get away with this one.

Gulping nervously she spoke,"I don't suppose this can wait another day or two."

Weiss's ice cold glare pierced her very soul before she responded with a terse,"What do you think?"

Right. May as well get this over with.

So she sighed and just went over and sat on her bed while Yang dropped down from the top bunk and sat next to Weiss.

"So,"She began,"What's up?"

"You tell us."Was Weiss's stern reply.

This was already as fun as she knew it would be…

"Nothing's wrong. Everything's fine."Blake said. Really? Just gonna go right back to lying now huh? Well, if it ain't broke don't fix it.

Yang raised her hand.

"Uh pardon me but I'd like to call BS on that."

Cheeky blonde…

She seemed to have a lot of those in her life lately Blake thought as a certain monkey tailed teen came to mind.

"Even if it was stated rather crudely, I agree with Yang. You've been acting strange these past few days. And not your usual Blake level of strangeness,"Weiss said with a pointed look in her eye."And knowing how you tend to be, you'll either hide it from us for as long as possible before you break, or you'll run away to deal with it somewhere else on your own."

Weiss stood up and leveled Blake with the mother of all scowls.

"And I, as your teammate refuse to let that happen again, so Blake Belladonna, tell us right now. What. Is. Wrong!"She pointed dramatically while somehow stealing the chair from Ruby and teetering on top of it precariously.

Ruby looked down and noticed she was no longer on said chair and promptly fell on her butt.

Meanwhile, Blake and Yang both blinked in surprise as their usually level minded and cold teammate demonstrated mannerisms similar to that of their young leader.

"Sheesh Weiss,"Yang grinned,"I never thought you had it in you to act like this."

Weiss, realising the image she was presenting, quickly hopped from the chair, gave it back to Ruby and stood off to the side to hide her embarrassed blush.

"W-well,"Weiss said while coughing into her hand,"The point still stands,"She looked to Blake.

"Tell us what's going on with you."

Blake stared into each of her teammates eyes and could tell that they were generally worried about her, it seemed like all her lying had finally caught up to her. Now she had to deal with the backlash.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Blake tilted her head down to avert her gaze from her worried friends.

"Okay,"She relented.

"Finally."Yang said.

An annoyed glance made her shut up. First time that ever worked.

"I've been having trouble sleeping lately."She began,"I've been keeping myself up at night thinking about my past."

Hearing no sounds to interrupt her, she continued on.

"I guess I never really allowed myself to think about it until the incident at the docs. Seeing just how far things have gone. How much they've changed. I was apart of that once...and I convinced myself back then that I was doing the right thing."

She felt her eyes start to sting as she opened up to her team.

"Maybe I was just scared to admit it. But what I was doing was exactly what people expected from the faunus. I wasn't helping anything."

Her voice started to tremble and her hands gripped the fabric of her pants as her grip on her emotions started to slip.

She was only vaguely aware of a pair of small arms wrapping around her shoulders. She didn't even have to look to know it was Ruby.

It took her a minute to find her voice again.

"All those years, all that time...what did I really amount to? A thief? A liar? A terrorist?"

She brought her hand up to cover her mouth as a sob started to escape her. She shut her eyes as the tears finally started to flow.

All the pain she'd been withholding finally started to surface and constrict her heart with it's unforgiving grasp.

Another hand laid itself on her knee and gave her a comforting squeeze. She looked up and saw the soft lavender eyes of her partner through the blur of her tears.

That only made her cry more.

Why were they all so nice to her?

Why were they so understanding?

Why...why did she have them? She didn't deserve them.

Ruby's small arms squeezed a little harder as the small girl started to whisper soothingly into her ear.

"It's okay Blake. It's okay."

No, it wasn't. Didn't they get that? Nothing about what she's done is okay.

"We're still your friends Blake. Nothing's gonna change that."Yang said.

If they knew everything, they'd change their mind in an instant.

"I know it's hard for you to move on from your past. But that doesn't mean you have to do it alone. We're a team. We help each other. Your problems are our problems."Weiss included as she kneeled next to Yang.

Blake looked up at the white haired heiress and felt her heart constrict even more. How did Weiss of all people come to accept her? She was part of the very organization that has been at war with her family for decades. Yet she treated her like a teammate.

Why?

Blake wiped the tears off her cheeks and sniffled.

"Thank you all but...it's just not that easy. My past has to be dealt with somehow. I need to make things right: And I need to do it on my own."

Blood red hair flashed before her eyes.

" _What about the crew members?_ "

" _What about them?_ "

Her fist clenched, and her eyes turned cold.

"I owe it to myself...and to other people that I correct my mistakes."

"But why does it have to be alone?!"Weiss implored with an annoyed look on her face.

"Because I had the chance to stop it but I did nothing!"She retorted."So many things could've been avoided if I just stepped up for once and not be a coward!"

Her lips started to tremble again as self-hatred started to burn in her again.

"I"ve done a lot of bad things in my life. But without a doubt the worse thing I ever did...was nothing."

The others looked at each other as Blake's words registered to them. They looked unsure and more worried than ever now, and Blake hated herself for it.

Yang looked like she was gonna say something before a small chime captured all their attention.

Ruby pulled out her scroll with one hand-the other rubbing Blake's back soothingly. She sighed when she read the message.

"I told Jaune we'd meet his team for dinner. I'll tell him we have to reschedule."

"No,"Blake denied."You all go ahead. There's no need for you to miss dinner on my account."

"But what about you?"Ruby asked with a bunched brow.

"I'm not very hungry right now."Blake said.

In actuality she felt like having a little bite to eat but...she just needed some alone time.

She could tell they wanted to argue but she just urged them along.

"Please just go."She said softly.

With a conflicted look from Yang and Weiss-Weiss's look screaming that this wasn't over-the two slowly got up and started to walk to the door.

Ruby encircled her arms around her one last time.

"We'll bring you back something. Would a tuna sandwhich be okay?"

She'd let whoever brought her tuna pet her ears publicly-but she settled for a small nod.

Ruby smiled.

"Alright, we'll be back soon."With one more squeeze she was right behind her other teammates.

When the door shut, Blake sighed and ran a hand down her face.

' _That wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. Doesn't mean it couldn't have been better_ '

Blake flopped onto her bed and simply sat in the silence.

And to think, this whole day started because of a book.

Speaking of which…

Reaching under the bed, Blake pulled the blame tome up and held it up in both hands while silently glaring at it.

"You have cost me no end of trouble today,"She sneered."If it wasn't for the fact that I love you and your not mine, I'd probably burn you."

Blake sighed again.

"Aaaand i'm talking to a book. Maybe I should get out more."

She looked to the book.

"Maybe after this."

She flipped onto her stomach and placed the book on her pillow. Finding her saved page, she opened up to the newest chapter.

 **Chapter 4:Gaius**

 _ **The eyes were always watching him.**_

' _What a fantastic start._ 'Blake thought sardonically.

 _ **And he was always watching right back.**_

 _ **It was the middle of the night, but he was wide awake sitting at the far end of his bed. Sat vertically up against his pillow, the black button eyes of a small doll stared silently across from him.**_

' _I think we've come back to the past._ 'Blake thought.

 _ **His own steel colored gray eyes looked back in a determined stare. Despite his external appearance, internally he was a storm of emotion. Anytime his eyes fell on the doll, his stomach would twist and he'd begin to feel ill.**_

 _ **At first, he feared for his life in believing the witch had put her curse on him. But seeing how it had been 3 days after he first saw her, he'd realized that the curse wasn't real and his friends had lied to him.**_

' _Again, he needs better friends._ 'Blake thought as she rolled her eyes. Seriously, what kind of friends were these?

 _ **Speaking of his friends, he had come to avoiding them over the past few days.**_

Blake nodded in approval. Good, these kids sounded horrible anyways.

 **It wasn't solely on the fact that they had tried to scare him...it was mostly because he needed to think.**

 **It all started when he came back from the witch's house.**

 **As soon as he returned, the village children had bombarded him with their questions and curiosity.**

 **Did he find anything?**

 **What was the witch's house like?**

 **Did he see the monster?**

 **He answered none of them. He just walked away. Not even realising he still held the stitched doll tightly in his hand.**

' _So he ran away with the doll_ ,'Blake thought,' _Did he even show them he had it?_ '

 _ **When he eventually realised it, he had kept it hidden from everyone. Not even his mother and father had seen it.**_

 _ **Why? He didn't know. All he knew was he didn't want anyone to know about the strange doll he had stolen.**_

' _Anyone who has something they shouldn't have would try to keep it hidden._ 'Blake figured. It was all about not wanting to get caught and suffer any consequences for it.

 _ **Reaching for the doll, he brought it into his lap to examine.**_

 _ **Nothing about the doll was special. In fact it was rather crudely made. Actually kind of ugly. Nobody would even care if it was thrown in a fire.**_

 _ **So why did looking at it always make him feel bad?**_

 _ **A small girl with a tiny flower flashed in his mind.**_

Blake felt a slightly giddy feeling build in her stomach. It was looking like the beginning of a crush!

 _ **His stomach seemed to sink lower.**_

 _ **Why did he feel bad about taking the girls doll? He and his friends did it all the time to the other girls in the village. It was always fun to watch them stumble and whine as they tossed the doll around to keep it away from them.**_

Blake rolled her eyes and scoffed. Boys…

 _ **But why did this feel different?**_

' _Because this isn't the same situation._ 'Blake thought in annoyance.

 _ **Sneering at the lump of cloth he threw it back to the pillow and watched it slump to its side. He sighed in exasperation.**_

 _ **This wasn't fair.**_

Blake snickered. Throughout this whole situation, that's what he thinks about this?

 _ **His small hands clenched into fists.**_

 _ **He was angry about so many things. He was angry at himself for taking the doll. He was angry at his friends for making him go into the woods. He was angry at the witch for scaring him. And he was angry at the girl for...for making him feel bad.**_

Blake shook her head. All that anger just for feeling guilty. An interesting question Blake thought, when anger is fueled by guilt, what would someone do to relieve it? Something with good intentions but bad methods? Ends justifying means? Blake kept reading.

 _ **Something his mother always told him resounded in his head.**_

' _ **If you've done something wrong, fix it if you can. And if you can't, at the very least, apologize. Then maybe the consequences won't be so severe.'**_

Blake swore softly. She was hoping his name would've slipped out. But remembering Ozpin say his name is never mentioned, she continued reading grudgingly.

 _ **He always pouted and turned away when she told him this. He never took it seriously, why should he? He never did anything wrong.**_

Blake wanted to call him a child...which would be redundant since he was a child.

 _ **But ever since he had taken the doll...he realised that maybe...maybe he might've possibly...done something wrong.**_

Blake takes it back. He's a child.

 _ **So now he has to try to make things better. But the only way he could think to do so was to take the doll back.**_

 _ **The thought of seeing the witch again scared him worse than anything. But still…**_

Blake couldn't help but wonder what he'd do. It's obvious that they're gonna meet eventually but the events to lead up to that are what this part seems to be focusing on.

 _ **Looking out the window**_ _ **he stared up at the moonlight and how it streamed into his room. He noticed how soft the light was, how pale it was. Soft and pale...just like that girl-**_

 _ **He shook his head.**_

 _ **No! He shouldn't think about it.**_

' _He's gonna drive himself insane at this rate._ 'Blake thought with a laugh. First crushes were so cute!

 _ **Maybe he should just go to sleep, this was too crazy to think about right now.**_

 _ **So with a sigh he dropped onto his pillow and pulled the blankets over himself, not even caring how the doll slumped against his head. He slowly closed his eyes and let himself fall into unconsciousness.**_

 _ **That night, his dreams were filled with fields of white flowers, and a small girl dancing among the tiny flowers in a dress of pure ivory. It was this same dream for the next few days that pushed him to his decision.**_

Blake caught the picture of Mono in her head and for that one moment, wished that she was able to paint it. It would be a fantastic picture to hang up in the room.

 **(-)**

 **At first he was confused.**

 **He was surrounded in darkness, unmoving. He started to panic.**

 **Where was he?**

 **Why was he here?**

 **How did he get out?!**

 **Then he remembered. The stone floor was the first to remind him.**

 **Then came the wind, blowing softly around him.**

 **He didn't try to open his eyes just yet, they were still too heavy, he'd need time while his strength slowly returned.**

 **Unseen by him, above his still form the shadow had returned, this time, accompanied by a second shadow. Both looking down upon him in an intense stare.**

' _Hmm, interesting._ 'Blake thought. If she guessed right, it seemed that after each colossus he killed, one of the shadows from earlier would return for some reason. She bit her lip as she thought on this.

Maybe they were the spirits of the colossus?

Their souls perhaps?

She sighed. Hopefully that'll be explained later. She continued reading.

 **Suddenly, the floor trembled, a light shined on him, and with a loud burst, rock shattered and broke.**

 **He opened his eyes. The crumbled form of the destroyed statue was the first thing he saw.**

' _And down goes another one._ 'Blake thought solemnly.

 **Finally getting energy back in his limbs, he slowly pushed himself onto his knees and stood shakily onto his feet.**

 **A quick look around confirmed that he was indeed, back in the shrine of worship.**

Blake wondered how he always ended up back in the shrine.

' _Did he teleport somehow?'_ 'Was her only theory.

 **Shaking away the last bits of dizziness, he looked to the shining light above him just as he felt the all too familiar feel of Dormin descend into the room.**

" **Thy next foe is…"His layered voice spoke."A giant canopy soars to the heavens…"**

 **His eyes fell to the next statue down the line, this one seemed almost human in shape, but the proportions to its face and body were off somehow.**

" **The anger of the sleeping giant shatters the earth…"**

Blake blinked at the description. This one was different than the others.

This one actually seemed to be threatening and carried with it a warning, be wary of this one's wrath.

Blake gulped as she turned the page.

 **The boy nodded his head mutely and stepped forward, only to immediately collapse onto his knees.**

She gasped. Is he alright?!

 **His muscles burned with fatigue and he felt his limbs shake with how tired they were. He couldn't fight it anymore: he was tired and hungry, he needed rest.**

Blake nodded her head in approval. ' _I knew he might've been pushing himself too far!_ '

 **Falling onto his side, he rolled to his back and stared at the ceiling of the shrine.**

 **In his haste and impulsiveness, he had gone and worn himself out, believing he could finish his mission quickly. But that was before he knew he had to slay monsters.**

' _It certainly is a tiring job._ 'Blake thought jokingly.

 **His own fatigue had almost been what got him killed last time.**

 **He smiled softly. He could hear Mono's voice scolding him now.**

' _ **You have to be more careful! Don't go doing anything foolish just because you forgot you have limits!**_ **'**

 **He gave a light chuckle at all the times she told him that.**

Blake was amazed. She already knew that he was doing this for her, but to read about his thoughts for her just proved just how much he loves her. It made her heart quiver.

 **He felt a small warmth in his chest at the memories. She was always so worried for him, always making sure he was okay. Sometimes she would even start to nag him about it. He'll admit, at times he would get annoyed with her overcaring nature.**

 **But now...he can honestly say he'd give anything to have it back.**

Blake felt her heart start to wilt. Why did this book have to be so romantically tragic?! Her heart can only stand so much!

 **He closed his eyes and sighed as he let himself get lost in his memories.**

 **He wasn't sure how long he had his eyes shut, but he was brought out of his rest when he felt a sudden burst of hot breath on his face. His face pinching in annoyance, he opened his blurry eyes to a black snout sniffing his face. He sighed again.**

" **Hey buddy."He murmured as he ran his hand over Agro's snout.**

' _And here comes Agro,_ 'Blake thought thankfully. Blake was glad she could count on him to relieve the tragic parts of the story.

 **Agro responded positively with his touch and seemingly overjoyed to have him awake.**

" **It's alright boy,"He laughed,"I wasn't dead. Not by a long shot. We still have a lot of work to do."**

 **His smile faded.**

" **I wish I could keep going, but i'm tired. I'm sure you're tired too. We both could use some rest for a while."**

Good, Blake thought, think about Agro.

 **Letting his hand drop to the ground he let himself lay down a while longer before hoisting himself up unsteadily onto his feet.**

 **He shivered from the cold winds and looked to see the sun was starting to set.**

" **It'll be dark soon,"He sighed and turned to Agro,"We should gather some firewood while we still have some light."**

 **(-)**

 **They had retrieved just enough for a small fire before the darkness set in. It offered little heat for him to be completely comfortable but it was better than being completely freezing.**

 **He had let Agro go and eat from the fields and drink from a nearby stream while he settled with the remaining nuts and berries that he had packed for the journey. He would either have to go scavenge for more of go hunting.**

Blake had to admit, Wander was a pretty resourceful guy. Ironically, Blake didn't know a thing about regular hunting. She supposed it might be the same as grimm hunting, but then again regular animals run and don't chargeat you in a mindless hate filled rage. So maybe it was a little different.

 **Agro had returned a little while later and had decided to lay down behind him, giving him an opportunity to rest against the horse's abdomen.**

' _It's official, I need a horse in my life._ '

Preferably a black one with a little white diamond on it's head.

 **As the two of them sat in the temple, the young man took the time to think about all he had done so far.**

 **He had fought and killed monsters.**

 **And lived to tell the tale about it.**

 **Nobody would believe him, how could they, these creatures have gone unknown for who know's how long. All because everyone was too afraid to go to the world's end and see what was here for themselves. All because of...him.**

Blake felt her eyebrow raise in question. This should be good,

 **He felt his hands clench into tight fists at the thought of the old superstitious fool. How he used his position to empower himself. Frighten everyone into submission.**

 **His word was unchallengeable, what he said went, nobody would protest. Nobody would argue.**

 **Nobody would say no and save-!**

Blake gasped.

' _Is he talking about Mono's killer?!_ 'With newfound interest she kept reading.

 **He held his breath and slowly counted in his head.**

 **After he reached ten he let out his breath felt the simmering rage in his gut fizzle out.**

 **It would do him no good to think about that old idiot.**

 **He didn't have to deal with him ever again.**

 **For all he cared the senile old man could fall and rot in the darkest pit, that man had nothing to do with him anymore.**

Blake blinked in surprise. She didn't expect his hatred to be so deep. Though she supposed that she could understand if it was ultimately that man's fault for Mono dying.

 **That past didn't matter now, just the future. Defeating the remaining colossus and bringing Mono back was all he cared about for right now. And after that...he'll just have to see.**

' _Reaching an end goal is like running into a wall I suppose. It just leaves you with a...now what?_ 'Blake thought.

She secretly hoped they got back to together…

 **He adjusted his spot against Agro's bellie and closed his eyes to sleep til the next day.**

 **(-)**

 _ **He was a giant. Taller than the cliffs that surrounded him.**_

 _ **His steps shook the earth, leaving craters wherever he stepped.**_

 _ **Mighty was the club in his hand, his strength went unchallenged. But his greatest strength was his patience.**_

 _ **Days, nights, weeks.**_

 _ **They had no meaning to him. He was simply content with all things around him. Continuously he marched up and down the canyon, no fears, no troubles. Just the sun, the birds and the wind. Peace was his existence. Until that day.**_

" _ **HEY!"**_

 _ **The scream echoed around the canyon's narrow space.**_

' _Wait a minute,_ 'Blake thought in shock. She had been content to just go along since she figured he was just dreaming but now that she really looked over this, it seemed like it was exactly like…

She turned the page.

 _ **He was barely able to turn before he felt a stabbing in his leg.**_

 _ **He collapsed onto his knee letting out a scream in agony.**_

 _ **The next thing he knew, he felt something start to crawl onto him. He tried shaking it off but whatever it was wouldn't let go!**_

Blake felt her heart start to beat nervously. This is exactly like the first fight!

 _ **His adversary continued to climb up his back, he couldn't dislodge them, no matter how hard he shook. He felt his enemy start to reach the back of his head, and with growing anger he violently threw his head up to launch the unseen enemy up and off him.**_

At this point, Blake heard her own heart in her ears pounding away.

So immersed in her book that she didn't even notice the door to the room open…

 _ **He watched the silhouette of his attacker soar into the air until it reached the peak of its ascent into the air and start to fall again.**_

 _ **They descended quick, the sun blocking its form as it reared back its arm and readied the weapon in its hands-**_

"We're back!"

Blake jumped at the loud shout next to her ear.

Turning to her side she glared a painful and horrible death at the unashamed grinning blonde kneeling next to her bunk.

One of these days...one of these days-

POW!

BANG!

Right to the moon! __

"Was that really necessary?"She growled in barely restrained hostility.

"Seeing how you didn't respond the first time we called, yeah I would say so,"She justified.

' _If only there were no witnesses_ ,'Blake thought as her eye twitched.

"We got your tuna!"Ruby intervened as she handed Blake the plastic wrapped sandwich. By the way she was looking at Yang, it seemed that Blake was only barely restraining herself from strangling her sister.

"Thanks."Blake said as she took the offered food from Ruby.

"That was a short dinner."Blake noted as she started to unwrap her food.

"We decided to eat up here."Yang said as she sat down at the desk."Didn't wanna abandon you to be all by yourself."

While thoughtful, she'd rather they did just that.

"Why?"Blake asked,"I said you could go and eat without me."

"And we decided to ignore what you said."Weiss said as she poured dressing on her salad."If what you told us is true, then that means that we have to be here to remind you that you're not alone in what you're going through."

"That's right!"Yang said through a mouthful of cheeseburger.

"Chew and swallow you barbarian!"Weiss barked.

"Ahhh!"Yang showed the chewed up burger in her mouth, causing Weiss to dry heave in disgust.

She gulped down her food before turning to Blake.

"But seriously, we get that you're still feeling guilty. But that doesn't mean you can't let us help you."

"In fact,"Ruby chipped in,"You can't stop us from helping you. And as team leader, I officially state that helping you is our next mission!"

"Next?"Blake raised a brow."Wouldn't this technically be the first?"

"No the first was rescuing you from the docs."

"But the whole team wasn't even there?"

"Well, uhh...we all ended up there."

"After the whole crisis was said and done."

"..."

Blake rolled her eyes at her leader's stumped expression. She'd give brownie points for attempting at least.

"Anyways,"Blake said,"I'm just gonna keep reading. I'd appreciate it if you kept it down a little."

"No problem,"Yang smiled,"We'll be as quiet as a mouse faunus."

"That's racists."Blake deadpanned.

"Eh, everyone's a little racist."

Rolling her eyes again, Blake turned back to the book.

 _ **He watched the silhouette of his attacker soar into the air until it reached the peak of its ascent into the air and start to fall again.**_

 _ **They descended quick, the sun blocking its form as it reared back its arm and readied the weapon in its hands-**_

"Hey Blake?"

Blake's eye twitched as she dragged her eyes away from the pages to look at her team leader.

"Yes Ruby?"She growled through grit teeth.

"What book is that? I've never seen that one before."She asked curiously.

"I just got it."She answered before looking back at the pages.

"Is it good?"

Feeling her vain start to throb in her temple she took a deep breath to steady her rising frustration.

"Yes,"She seethed.

She started the first few lines-

"What's it about?"

Blake twitched a few times before turning her head slowly to Ruby.

Ruby flinched back when she saw Blake giving her a smile that seemed too strained to be genuine and her eyes seemed to shine with a maniacal light.

"Ruby,"She spoke eerily slow."I'll be more then happy to answer your questions later. But for right now, would it be okay if I just read my book? Is that okay with you?"Her head tilted to the side.

Ruby's entire body trembled as she beheld the expression on the quiet bookworms face. Pure nightmare fuel.

"Y-yes!"She squeaked.

Blake blinked and smiled harder.

"Thank you~"

She turned back to her book.

Meanwhile, Ruby trembled in her bed, oblivious to Yang's snickering, as her young mind tried to process the intense traumatization at the horror she just witnessed.

It's always the quiet ones.

 _ **He watched the silhouette of his attacker soar into the air until it reached the peak of its ascent into the air and start to fall again.**_

 _ **They descended quick, the sun blocking its form as it reared back its arm and readied the weapon in its hands-**_

Blake looked up, just in case of another interruption. But was relieved to see that her team was still occupied with their own devices. Though Ruby was just shaking and whimpering under her covers.

A part of her thought to maybe be concerned.

' _Eh, she'll live._ 'She thought and turned back to her book.

 _ **And struck.**_

 _ **He stumbled back from the pain, unlike any he had ever felt in his thousands of years of life. The tip of it's weapon sent a sharp shock throughout his whole body, the agony seeming to travel deep into his own soul.**_

Blake shivered at the thought of feeling that much pain. The description made a very unpleasant chill go down her spine.

 _ **All the energy in his body seemed to leave him as he felt the weapon dig deeper into his head, and with a dying groan, he felt his legs give out from under him and he toppled forward.**_

 _ **He hit the ground with a resounding thud.**_

 _ **When he opened his eyes he found that he was somewhere else. Somewhere different.**_

' _That's such a trippy transition_.'Blake thought.

 _ **It was dark, and he felt cramped.**_

 _ **All around him he felt damp rock pressed against him in a snug fit.**_

 _ **He wasn't very active, all his life he was slow, not doing much of anything. So he stayed in his cave, living a life of seclusion and sleep. Cause really, there was nothing else for him.**_

' _This must be the second colossus._ 'Blake realised.' _Is this gonna happen everytime he kills one?_ '

 _ **But something was off about today.**_

 _ **All his life he had listened to the sound of the seashore's lullaby as it put him to sleep. But along with the usual sound of the waves, he heard something else.**_

 _ **A small sound, one he hardly ever heard around the cave. The sound of the shifting sand. As if one was walking on the beach.**_

 _ **It couldn't be.**_

 _ **He had to see for himself.**_

 _ **Rising onto his four legs, he backed up as far as he could in his small cave.**_

' _Hmm, interesting_.'Blake noted.' _It's like having four legs isn't even strange for him. Like he actually believes that he's that very colossus._ '

 _ **His legs tensed and he charged forward to meet the stone wall in his way.**_

 _ **Rearing back his head, he smashed his stone mask onto the wall and crumpled the entire cliff side to rubble.**_

Such a show of strength was probably nothing to the giants. But to regular people, being that strong was nearly impossible. Even for an experienced huntsman. The more Blake learned about these colossus, the more she can say that they interest her.

 _ **The sharp light of the sun blinded him.**_

 _ **The transition from total darkness to bright daylight having him see spots in his vision.**_

 _ **He took a few more steps from the shattered remains of the cliff side and blinked repeatedly to clear his vision.**_

 _ **In his blind steps he heard it, the sound of the sand being tousled, as if someone was running on it.**_

 _ **When his vision returned, he looked around the small beach he called home and saw what caused the disturbance.**_

 _ **It was a creature much smaller than him.**_

 _ **It had four legs like him and seemed to have some hair on it as well.**_

 _ **What an interesting little thing. And it seemed to be charging toward him.**_

 _ **As it got closer he noticed something was on it's back. He couldn't tell exactly what for it was too small, but he could feel it's eyes connect with his own. The look it gave him was feral and murderous.**_

' _Going out on a limb, i'm guessing that's Agro and Wander_.'Blake frowned.' _What I don't get is, why is Wander attacking himself in his own dream? He can't really be seeing through the eyes of the actual colossus could he?_

The thought set a very uneasy feeling in her gut.

 _ **The two circled around him and he lost sight of them due to how slow he was. He made to step and turn around to get a better look of the creatures.**_

 _ **But as he lifted his back leg, he suddenly felt a sharp pain on the underside of his hoof.**_

 _ **Releasing a startled and pain filled roar, his bag leg toppled and he was left immobile on his three feet.**_

 _ **The pain had started to throb under his hoof and without the use of all four of his legs, he couldn't move anymore due to how heavy he was.**_

Blake's face wrinkled in concern. The thoughts of the colossus or Wander or whoever were starting to make her uncomfortable. From this point of view, it was like the colossus were nothing but innocent victims. But that can't be the case...right?

 _ **He started when he felt something latch onto his leg. Whatever had grabbed onto his leg had started to climb up his back limb.**_

 _ **Feeling annoyed at the sensation of his unseen assailant climbing up him without his permission, he tried his best from his downed position to shake off the unwelcome pest.**_

 _ **He felt the little creature reach his back, only a few seconds later, he seized when a searing pain lit up his lower spine.**_

 _ **He cried out in pain as he felt the bite of the creatures weapon load him with an immeasurable wave of tortuous heat.**_

Blake bit the inside of her cheek with the books descriptions. It wasn't making reading this chapter any easier.

 _ **Feeling his lower half shut down, he was left on his last two legs, even more vulnerable than before.**_

 _ **He started to panic when he felt his small attacker go up his back towards his head.**_

 _ **He shook as hard as he could, but his assailant was determined to remain not to leave him be.**_

 _ **He stopped struggling when he felt it stand atop his head.**_

Blake's heart seemed to stop as well. She pulled the book closer to read the words more intently.

 _ **He couldn't see it, but he knew the creature was glaring down at him with hate filled eyes. He felt fear course through his heart when he realised what would happen next.**_

 _ **He tried to brace himself, but nothing could prepare him for the pain.**_

 _ **Like being struck with a bolt of lightning, the pain coursed from his head to the bottom of his feet.**_

 _ **He screamed as hard and as loud as he could, but even then it didn't convey the pain he was in.**_

Blake actually winced. __

 _ **So all he did was scream until he couldn't scream anymore, he felt his heart start to slow soon after and he felt all his energy start to leave him.**_

 _ **He collapsed onto his side and groaned tiredly.**_

 _ **He heard his killer jump off of him and take a few steps back. Probably to admire his work.**_

 _ **Why?...Why do this?**_

 _ **Nothing can possibly...be worth this…**_

 _ **His eyes closed.**_

 **(-)**

 **His eyes opened.**

Blake shivered. She gulped when she noticed how dry her throat felt. That whole section was...horrible. In a sense that it made her feel horrible.

The whole book has been an emotional roller coaster from the start and she could honestly say that she liked every part of it so far.

But this chapter…

It disgusted her. Hearing someone's point of view of themselves being murdered.

Even if that someone was a giant slow moving monster.

Taking a second to get calm herself, she turned to the next page.

 **Blinking the sleep out of his eyes, the young man sat up from his position against Agro's warm stomach and looked to the dying embers of the flame in front of him.**

 **Yawning into his hand, the young man stretched his arms above his head and stood up slowly.**

 **Looking out from the temple, he noticed that the sun was nearing the brink of its ascent. Now seemed like a good time to get going.**

 **Walking back to Agro, he shook the horse awake.**

" **Come on buddy, wake up,"He said while gently shaking his head.**

' _Does he...not remember the dreams?_ 'Blake wondered incredulously.

 **Agro awoke with a huff and was on his feet a few seconds later.**

Blake chuckled. Seemed like Agro didn't like to be woken up either.

 **Agro stomped his hoof a few times and whinnied.**

" **You can graze in a little bit. We have to go."He said while mounting the saddle.**

' _How he understood that I'll never know._ '

 **As he lead them out of the temple, he stopped Agro in front of the shrine and held his sword up to the sun's rays.**

 **The tip shined before pointing off to the north. The same way he went the other day.**

 **Sheathing the ancient sword, he pointed Agro to the direction and kicked his sides to spur him into a steady gallop.**

 **It was just like before, going around the temple on the right and making coming up on the old land bridge.**

 **As he and Agro crossed, he looked down to the seashore and his eyes widened.**

 **Pulling Agro to a stop on his reins he stared transfixed at the scene below him.**

 **Slumped over on it's side was the second colossus.**

Blake's eyebrow's shot into her hairline.

 **The body had changed. No longer was it a being of stone armor and fur, but now it resembled more of a pushed together pile of earth and grass.**

 **His eyes lingered on the dead body of the once giant mammoth. The more he looked the more his mind started to drift. And eventually he was remembering.**

 **His dreams started to flash before his eyes.**

 **The cave.**

 **The sunlight.**

 **The monster and it's cruel weapon. It killed him.**

 **And he didn't even know why.**

 **Shaking his head violently, he scoffed at the images in his head.**

 **Maybe he just needed more rest afterwards.**

' _He remembered._ 'Blake thought.' _But he dismissed it as just a crazy dream. I have a bad feeling about this._ '

 **Pushing onward, he and Agro came to the same fork in the path as before, but this time, as he pulled out the sword, they were commanded to the left.**

 **Taking this direction led them into a the plains up to the north. The plains were eventually split by a canyon. Directed by the swords light to the northwest, he made Agro sprint in that direction.**

 **Rushing past the canyon's entrance, they took the path down the side of the rocky cliffs.**

 **The young wanderer noticed that the farther down they went, the darker the sky became. A quick glance above showed that the dark clouds were gathering on this side of the canyon walls.**

 **As they reached the end of the path, they were met with the misty shores of a lake. And in the center of the lake was a small island, elevated above the water on a thick pillar of intricately carved stone. Spiraling around the island was a narrow path that went up to the platform above.**

 **He walked Agro around the shore to see if they could find a way across. But is seemed there was no easy way to do it.**

 **Dismounting Agro and grabbing his bow and arrows, he stood in front of the waters edge and sighed in resignation.**

" **No helping it I guess. I'm gonna have to swim."**

 **Just as he was about to jump in, Agro took ahold of his cloak and held him in place.**

Ahh Agro, the ever present angel on the shoulder. Blake really wished she had that in her life.

" **Agro,"He sighed in exasperation,"Let go, I'll be fine."**

 **He paused.**

" **Or at the very least still breathing."**

 **Yanking his cloak out of the horse's mouth, Agro made a show of stomping aggravatingly in protest.**

 **He ran his hand over Agro's head before jumping into the water.**

 **It was a lot deeper than it looked.**

 **Sputtering back to the surface, his teeth chattered from the biting cold of the water.**

 **Turning back to his old friend, he smiled teasingly,"Y-You were right, th-this was a bad idea!"**

Blake's lips lifted slightly. Next time listen to Agro.

 **He turned back around and started to swim for the path up to the island.**

 **Progress was slow, he wasn't the best swimmer, and didn't wanna put his head below water, so he looked more like he was treading water then swimming.**

' _ **Gods I hate swimming!**_ **'He thought sourly.**

' _You and me both._ 'Blake thought with a nod. Outside of bathing, water was not really something that Blake enjoyed.

And that wasn't a feline stereotype either!

 **It took a while, but he finally made it to the path, which was thankfully dipped into the lake so he didn't have to waste energy climbing up.**

 **Taking a few minutes to recuperate from the task of swimming, the young man shivered as a cold wind started to blow which caused him to sneeze.**

" **I better not get sick."He growled to no one.**

' _He gets more and more relatable here._ '

 **Trying his best to ignore the cold creeping across his skin, he began to trudge up the path.**

 **Having wet sandals for this was not a good idea. He had to be careful so he wouldn't slip and end up sliding down the path and back into the water. He didn't need those types of setbacks.**

' _Although it would be pretty funny_.'Blake snickered.

 **Reaching the end, what awaited him was not good. The path had apparently broken off at some point and so the only way he would get across to the platform was to jump from a lone pillar to the edge itself.**

 **How fun.**

Sounded like it...

 **Steeling himself he stood on the ledge and made sure his hands were as dry as possible for this.**

 **He tensed his legs and with a strong push, he leaped.**

 **The pillar got closer and he grabbed onto the edge of a jutting out stone with all the strength in his fingers.**

 **Gritting his teeth at all the effort it took to fight the hold of gravity, he shimmied to the right.**

 **Going around the bend was quite possibly the scariest part of this whole thing. But when he was as close as he was gonna get, he planted his feet against the stone pillar and pushed with his arms and legs against it to shoot himself across.**

Blake held her breath.

 **Turning in mid-air, he stretched his arms as far as he could and wrapped his fingers as securely as he could on the bottom ledge.**

She let out a sigh in relief.

 **Breathing heavier, he hoisted himself up and over onto the bottom ledge where he lay for several minutes catching his breath.**

 **It was times like this that he wished he was physically stronger than he was. Life would be so much easier right now.**

Blake rolled her eyes and smiled. Yeah, cause THAT is exactly what would make his life easier right now.

 **Wiping a hand down his face, he stood onto his feet and climbed up onto the next ledge.**

 **Finally he would face his next opponent.**

Blake felt her heart pound as she turned the next page.

 **His arena was a smooth flat surface that gave him a better view into the surrounding canyons, it also put him closer to the sky, hopefully there was no lightning.**

 **But just across from him, in a scrunched up heap, lay a giant of fur and stone.**

 **He gulped as he felt the usual rush of fear and adrenaline run through his veins.**

 **He took but a single step forward.**

 **And that was all it took to wake the sleeping giant.**

Gripping the book a little tighter, Blake gulped herself as she read on.

 **A loud groan broke the eerie silence before the mass started to move.**

 **Using its arms to push itself up, the giant hoisted itself onto its feet, rock and bits of armor falling from its ancient form as it moved for the first time in probably months.**

 **Once it stood tall, he was finally able to make it out.**

 **And needless to say, he was intimidated.**

 **This one was lithe and skinny, it's frame seemingly lacking any real type of bulk. It was also very furry. Almost to the point of being ridiculous.**

 **It was a lot more armored too.**

 **While the others themselves did have armor covering the majority of their bodies, this one went to the extreme. It was covered in all the essential places by the stone armor of all colossus, but also in some places where it seemed very troublesome. Like the bends of it's elbow or knee.**

 **But what intimidated him was creature's right arm.**

 **Instead of having a hand, paw or hoof like the others, in place was a long stone pillar, more like a sword, that was as much a part of it's body as the armor.**

 **The thought was a scary one, this giant of unprecedented strength, had a weapon naturally attached to it.**

 **And then he thought about what it could do to him…**

Oh boy…

Blake started to get nervous as she turned to the next page.

This doesn't seem like it's gonna be good or easy for him in any way shape or form.

 **He was dragged out of his fearful imaginings when the beast started to lumber towards him. Each step causing the platform to shake.**

 **Gritting his teeth, the boy pulled out his sword and tensed in place.**

' _ **Stay strong**_ **,'He told himself. '** _ **Just remember to use the sword.**_ **'**

 **He held his sword up into the air to catch the light and reveal the giants weak spot.**

 **But nothing happened.**

 **Feeling his heart drop into his stomach, the young wanderer realised something very very bad.**

 **The clouds were blocking the sun.**

 **No sun meant no weak spot.**

 **No weak spot meant the sword was useless.**

 **The sword being useless meant-**

 **He stared at the giant as it suddenly halted in its steps and held it's own 'sword' above it's head to strike.**

' _ **Death.**_ **'He thought grimly.**

Blake felt her earlier fear start to kick into overdrive.

This isn't good!

Gripping the page's even harder, Blake read as a bead of sweat started to form along her brow.

 **Eyes widening in panic he ran over to the side and dove as the stone weapon struck the spot he previously occupied.**

 **A shock wave and explosion of dirt pushed him farther than he intended and he rolled to a stop near the edge of the arena.**

 **Getting up as quickly as possible, he turned and saw that the giants arm was wedged into the ground.**

 **That could've been him.**

Blake felt her heart hammer away in her ribcage. What was he gonna do now?! The sword is the only real weapon he has, but without the sun to show him the weak points, he was basically just wasting his time.

 **He gulped nervously.**

 **He needed to get away!**

 **So he ran to opposite end of the platform and watched as the beast finally yanked it's arm free and staggered to steady itself.**

 **It turned around slowly and caught his small form.**

 **He cursed when he saw the wrathful orange eyes of the colossus find him.**

 **He had nowhere to run or hide on this platform, if he wanted to make it out of this alive, he had to play this smart.**

 **The giant came upon him with all the anger it could muster, it held it's arm back and lunged forward to crush him with the tip.**

 **He dove and rolled to his feet just in time to jump back as it's other hand came in to flatten him.**

 **Cringing at the hit to the back of his head he opened his eyes to see the beast lifting its foot over him.**

 **Feeling a spike in adrenaline, he rolled to the left to escape being crushed underfoot.**

' _Be careful!_ 'Blake chastised in her mind. This is looking worse and worse.

 **He got up and ran for all he was worth away from the giant, but the colossus was right behind him.**

 **Damn it! Why did it this one have to be on an isolated island with no cover!**

 **The stone sword crashed to his right and made him stumble and fall.**

 **Hearing the beast growl after him he scrambled to move away from it.**

 **He was finished, he couldn't fight this thing!**

 **It was too strong! Too armored! He didn't have a chance.**

Blake would've like to say not to give up and keep going, but even this seemed a bit of a stretch. She just had to keep reading.

 **In his desperation, he called out to the only one who he thought he could help him.**

" **Dormin!"He yelled.**

 **The mysterious entity was his only hope right now. He couldn't win without his help somehow.**

 **The giant lunged for him again and he just barely scrambled out of danger.**

" **Dormin!"He roared desperately again."If you're out there, help me!"**

 **The giant raised its foot.**

" **DORMIN!"**

 **BOOM!**

Blake audibly gasped loudly.

 **Opening his eyes slowly the young man saw that the giant had missed its step, it's giant arm was being used to protect its eyes from...the light!**

 **Sunlight!**

 **Looking up in astonishment, he saw that the dark clouds were being dispersed and rays of sunlight were poking through.**

Blake gaped at this. Had Dormin actually come in and helped him?!

It didn't suit him at all to offer help like that it seemed.

 **He felt the strange sensation of Dormin entering his mind again.**

" _ **The armor it wears seems brittle…**_ **"**

 **Blinking in confusion, he looked and saw that while the armor covered it very well, it was indeed weak and cracked with time. And every time it struck the ground, just a little more would chip off.**

 **But the ground was too soft to cause a good enough of a hit, he'd need something harder…**

 **Looking to the other side of the platform, he saw a stone circular tablet that looked hard enough.**

 **Smiling viciously he turned back to the blinking giant refocusing its attention on him.**

 **Payback time.**

Blake was still cautious. This was a very vicious colossus, even more so then the others. Anything could happen here.

 **Rolling onto his feet, he held the blade up to catch the sunlight.**

 **The sword glowed before it's familiar beam of light shined onto the colossus before zeroing in on the top of its head.**

 **Okay...hopefully the armor will break enough for him to climb it's fur.**

A bit shaky but...it might work, Blake supposed.

 **Making a mad dash around the giant, he sprinted to the other side of the platform and planted himself firmly onto the circular tablet.**

 **He already had the giants attention, he might as well try to make it even angrier so he could be sure it broke it's armor.**

Blake bit her lip in worry. Yeah, make the already aggressive colossus even angrier...that sounded like a good idea.

 **He pulled out his bow and loaded an arrow, taking careful aim, he shot his arrow and watched it imbed in the giant's stomach.**

 **He doubted it was actually hurting the beast, but he could tell he was making it angrier, if the way it's eyes burned was any indication.**

 **He was able to launch three more arrows, each falling closer to the first, and successfully making the giant more enraged.**

 **It was barely in striking distance before it raised its sword arm up and prepared to kill him. Perfect.**

 **He ran just in time as it brought its arm down and smacked it soundly against the stone tablet.**

 **He watched in satisfaction as a large chunk of its shoulder armor was blasted right off its body and left its entire unprotected.**

...Blake honestly couldn't believe that worked...it was like a plan Ruby would come up with.

 **The giant staggered back, the chink in it's armor snapping it out of it's rage and returning its eyes to a docile blue.**

 **That was until an arrow suddenly lodged itself in its forehead.**

 **It looked down and saw the smugly grinning face of it's intruder.**

 **The orange returned.**

Blake laughed at how cheeky Wander was now acting. Just a few pages ago he wasn't able to stand properly to fight it. Now he's more than ready it seems.

 **The giant raised it's sword for another attack and struck, the young man dove quickly to the right and watched as the giant tried to pull its arm out of the ground.**

 **He grinned. Just as planned.**

' _Yeah sure it was._ '

 **Before it could pull its arm out, he jumped on top of it, just in time for it to release its arm from the dirt.**

 **While the giant held its arm straight out, he made a run for the uncovered part of its arm.**

 **Quickly latching onto its fur he began the climb up to its head.**

 **His grip increased when he felt the giant start to shake its limb to rid itself of him.**

 **Nevertheless, he kept climbing.**

 **He maneuvered around the elbow and up to the shoulder and shimmied his way onto the neck. From their it was a straight trudge up to the top of the head.**

 **He knelt down onto the giant head and pulled the sword from its sheath.**

 **Once free he held it over the glowing sigil and stabbed.**

 **Groaning in pain, the giant attempted to shake him off again. He almost fell it he didn't quickly grab onto the fur.**

Blake felt her excitement start to bubble over. This was it, the battle was coming down to the last stretch. He just might pull this off!

 **When the beast settled, he was at it again, he stabbed down onto the giant's head, covering his face when the black mist sprayed out.**

 **The colossus trembled in pain as the bite of the ancient sword worked its magic on its body.**

 **He was able to get two more stabs in before the sigil faded and he was faced with a very familiar problem.**

' _ **Now where is it?**_ **'He thought frustratingly.**

 **Even more unfortunate for him… he forgot to hold on.**

Blake's heart stopped.

 **When the colossus tipped its head forward, he easily slid down and off the giant's head.**

Blake held her breath in anticipation.

 **He let out a brief scream and flailed his arm out to catch something, anything!**

 **His left hand reached out and grabbed onto the ledge near the beast's abdomen.**

Blake breathed easier.

 **Bringing his other arm up he used all the strength in his arms to try and pull himself up.**

 **He almost lost his concentration when the sword flashed.**

 **Blinking in confusion, he saw the a light appear before him.**

 **The sigil!**

 **It glowed brightly from the giant's stomach, a beacon for him to attack.**

' _This could be it! End it now!_ 'Blake thought.

 **Pushing himself up and onto the ledge, he didn't even give himself a moment to rest, he dove forward, both hands on the sword, and gave a bellowing war cry.**

 **He stabbed his sword into the beast's stomach, the giant shaking and roaring at the sword's sting.**

 **He pushed on and shoved the sword deeper, almost burying it to the hilt.**

 **The giant twitched as the rage in it's eyes started to flicker, the raging fire fighting to still breath and smite down his killer.**

 **But it was all for naught…**

Blake chewed her lip nervously.

 **With one last push, he completely buried the sword in it's gut.**

 **Silence.**

 **The giant stood still, the fire in it's eyes extinguishing to a melancholy blue.**

 **The colossus stumbled back on two steps before it fell to it's knees and slowly dropped onto it's front.**

 **The young man had thrown himself from the beasts falling stature before it hit the ground, and now cradled his sword arm painfully.**

Oh no...please don't be broken, Blake thought worryingly.

 **Groaning as he tried to stand up with one arm, the wanderer breathed deeply as he tried to ignore the pain in his arm. The sword still clutched tightly in his hurt hand.**

 **He looked back at the dead giant and mused on his battle.**

 **That was the toughest one yet…**

 **He almost didn't make it. If the clouds hadn't parted for him, he surely would've died.**

 **The thought pulled at his chest.**

 **If he had died…**

 **His ears perked as he heard a familiar sound, one that filled him with dread.**

Blake thinks she knew what was happening next. And she instantly felt sympathy for him.

 **Turning around, he groaned again, his time in fear as he saw the body of the giant rapidly blacken and black tendrils twirled in the air.**

 **It wasn't long until they were after him again.**

 **He didn't even have it in him to run this time. Gritting his teeth was the best he could do as he felt the sharp tendrils stab into him again.**

 **The pain was still the same as he felt himself be constricted by the feeling of them sinking into his body.**

 **When it was over, he exhaled and felt the pain pound in his abdomen. He was falling over soon enough, and he even welcomed the blackness as it surrounded his vision.**

Blake turned the page and sighed as the next chapter begun.

' _So many question. So many things need answering. I feel like i'm getting farther from the answers the more I read this._ 'Blake thought.

This chapter...she had to talk to Ozpin about this.

Closing the book, she was about to slide it under her bunk when she noticed her team watching her curiously.

"What?"She asked.

"Oh nothing."Yang smiled.

Something was up.

"What?"She glared.

"Oh we just couldn't help but notice how much you're enjoying your book."Yang snickered.

Blake raised a brow questioningly.

"Oh you know~"Yang teased. She watched as her partner went through several dramatic facial expressions and even let out a few gasps and giggles.

Blakes heart froze.

Oh no…

"I mean, I get that you enjoy your reading and all,"Yang shrugged,"But you made it seem like you were enjoying a movie. I mean, it's a book. It can't be that good."

Blake felt her face burn in mortification. The earlier feeling of wanting to be alone returned with a vengeance. This is why she prefered reading in seclusion.

It wasn't her fault she was an expressive reader…

 **X.x.X.x.X**

 **Poor poor Blake. Can't say I blame you.**

 **I'm a bit of an expressive reader too. Though it really just depends on how into the book I am. Sometimes I'll just sit there and others i'm basically acting out the whole book. Oh well.**

 **Sorry again for being late, I hope this longer chapter makes up for it, please REVIEW LIKE CRAZY!**

 **Hopefully I won't be so late next time.**

 **Anyways, I will see you next time!**

 **Sincerely, GhostAngel14**


	5. Chapter 5:Phaedra

Chapter 5

 **I'm sorry. I'll get better at this updating thing I swear! It's 2018 y'all I gotta do better. Or I won't, resolutions are hard to keep.**

 **Anyways...**

 **I gotta say, I'm really happy with how this story is going so far. In terms of reviews, favorites, and follows, but mainly because it's been really fun to write it. Which is the most important thing, if I hate what i'm doing then I have no reason to be doing it.**

 **Speaking of those reviews-**

 **Valkyrie Elysia:I'm glad you enjoy what i'm doing so far, and as for your inquiry, that's my little secret ;) and yes, the back and forth with Blake and Ozpin. I never realised how much fun it is til you pointed it out. I mean, yeah I already enjoyed it but I never thought someone would actually really appreciate it. So thank you for that. Hope to see more reviews from you as I keep going.**

 **sonic:Glad you like it buddy!**

 **dipper pines 101: It made my day when i saw this one. I'm glad you like it, hopefully you'll stick around for what's to come!**

 **kyro2009:Ah yes, my most faithful reviewer! And yes, it is a something that I suffer of, I can't help it if the story just gets me to involved emotionally and sometimes physically. And I'll gladly take those extra points thank you very much!**

 **Thank you to all my new reviews and favorites and follows who are pushing me to become a better author!**

 **And with that outta the way, let's get to the part we all want that involves me shutting up and getting to the good stuff. The next chapter for Blake Reads starts Now!...wait…**

 **Ok look, some people are gonna facepalm so hard for what I'm gonna do here in this chapter...but know that the point of these segments is just a small little gag. Expect some hilarity.**

 **YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!**

 **Disclaimer:RWBY is owned and created by Rooster Teeth and Shadow of the Colossus is owned and made by Sony and Team ICO.**

'Normal Speech'

' _Thoughts'_

' **Reading'**

X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Last Time

 _Blake felt her face burn in mortification. The earlier feeling of wanting to be alone returned with a vengeance. This is why she prefered reading in seclusion._

 _It wasn't her fault she was an expressive reader…_

X.x.X.x.X.x.X.x

 **Next day:Tuesday Afternoon**

 _ **He had awoken early the next morning, the task he was inspired for bringing him a sense of restlessness that wouldn't afford him sleep.**_

 _ **Before the sun was even up, he had snuck out of his home and made his way to-**_

"Please Yang! I promise I'll pay you back later!"

"Oh really? So I should just add to your tab on all the other times you said you'd pay me back but haven't?"

"Yes exactly!"

"I was being sarcastic…"

* _Eye twitch_ *

 _ **He had awoken early the next morning, the task he was inspired for bringing him a sense of restlessness that wouldn't afford him sleep.**_

 _ **Before the sun was even up, he had snuck out of his home and made his way to-**_

"Pretty please with ice cream, cookies and strawberries on top!"

"While that does sound delicious, no."

"But I need the money! I wanna get a new scope for Crescent Rose and the allowance I get from dad isn't enough for it!"

"Huh, i'm failing to see how this is my problem."

"Yaaaaang!"

* _Eye twitch Eye twitch_ *

 _ **Before the sun was even up, he had snuck out of his home and made his way to-**_

"Look even if I had the money-which I don't-why don't you just keep the one you already have?"

"Because this new scope is really cool! It has night vision, infrared, and can even read the vitals of it's target! It's really really expensive but for this weekend it's half off! But only this weekend!"

"Well too bad, the newest Achieve Men album is coming out soon and i'm saving up for that. We are sorry to inform you that the international bank of Yang is closed for this season, we apologize for any inconvenience."

"But Yang I need iiiiiit!"

* _EyetwitchEyetwitchEyetwitch_ *

"Will you stop whining! If it's that important to you then just ask someone else for the money."

"...Weiss?"

"No."

* _Slam_ *

The three members of team RWBY jumped when the loud slamming of a book suddenly erupted from the fourth member.

Turning their eyes to the source they saw that Blake held her thick hard covered book in one hand and had a pinched expression on her face.

Blake felt her unhealthy twitch return with a vengeance.

The black themed member of the group was close to feeling her patience drop entirely and her pot metaphorically boil over.

Classes had been brief and relatively easy today, and since the homework they were given wasn't due for another few days the girls had decided to relax in their dorm.

And to Blake that translated to reading. She was anxious to get to the next chapter of her new book.

Although Blake should've known better then trying to read in the room with the others here as well, peace and quiet was apparently not how they relaxed.

Taking a deep breath in and out, Blake slid from her bunk and stood up.

"I'm going out for a bit."She said curtly before walking out the door and into the hallway.

As soon as she closed the door she turned and started walking to the Library. If there was ever a way for her to get a chance for quiet, then the Library was the next best place.

She loved her team, she really did, but sometimes they can just be so annoying.

As she came up to the Library doors, she allowed herself a small smile at being able to get a chance to sit down and get a quiet place to enjoy her story.

Pushing open the double doors Blake took one step in, and promptly halted.

Her eyes went wide when she saw the rather large group of students in the library. But more importantly she took note of what the group was surrounding in a wide semi-circle of people that were either sitting or standing.

How could she not…

"Look i'm just saying, the use of Androids in the Atlas military is the best option for the entirety of Remnant and Humanity in general!"A well dressed male student argued strongly.

"But that's the problem, encouraging the use of these machines is not only dangerous to the people but challenging the ethics involved in how much faith we put into something that can't decide for itself the greater moral actions it's been assigned!"A shorter brunette female student retorted just as strongly in her own business suit.

"The use of these robots will get rid of the need of sending human soldiers into the field, saving countless lives of people that go into situations where the chance of them coming back isn't that high!"

"But, replacing them will also limit them to the point where they won't even need soldiers anymore. Which will eventually put them out of a job!"

"But could also create new ones in tech and manufacturing, to help maintain and build the bots themselves!"

Blake's eyes bounced back and forth as the two loud individuals continued there passionate...talk?

Her eyes eventually found themselves on the sign at the edge of the the large circle that read: **Beacon Debate Club.**

Ahh, suddenly this makes more sense.

So this was the debate club that Ozpin told her about, he was right to call them a passionate bunch. The two people speaking didn't seem to be backing down from their stances anytime soon.

If Blake was the argumentative type, she would've probably stayed for a while and listened. But unfortunately she wasn't, she prefers peace and silence to enjoy her reading.

And seeing how she wasn't gonna find any here…

She promptly turned and walked away from the noisy students.

' _There has to be a place where I can sit down and read quietly._ 'Blake thought in exasperation.

Maybe the cafeteria was an option? It wouldn't hurt to try. With her next destination in mind, Blake walked briskly to the cafeteria hoping for some silence, and maybe some dinner while she was at it.

When she stepped into the dining room, Blake looked around and smiled to see that there weren't that many people here yet. Maybe just 4 or 5 teams, and they all sat together at one large table. And they were all quiet...and unmoving...not even eating their food. Odd.

Regardless of this however, the situation was perfect.

Shrugging Blake made her way to where team RWBY usually sits and sat down with a sigh. Finally some silence.

With a bit of excitement Blake opened her book to her saved page.

She only got a few words in before it started…

...

"...EVERYBODY SAY SAUSAGE KEEP IT GOING! EGGS BACON GRITS-"

"SAUSAGE!"

"WOKE UP THIS MORNING AND I MADE SOME-"

"SAUSAGE!"  
"NEVER START THE DAY WITHOUT MY-"

"SAUSAGE!"

"ORANGE JUICE,LITTLE BACON,BUT MORE-"

"SAUSAGE!"

"PASS THAT SYRUP I NEED IT FOR MY-"

"SAUSAGE!"

"YO BREAKFAST GOOD BUT THE BEST PART-"  
"SAUSAGE!"

"YO HOW Y'ALL KNOW I WAS ABOUT TO SAY-"

"SAUSAGE!"

"SAY SA SA SA SA SA SA SA-"

"SAUSAGE!"

…

A deadpan expression...would not even begin to explain the look on Blakes face at the moment.

It'd be more accurate to say that her very soul has left her body and all life in her eyes died and now they're a just blank husk. Such was the emotionless way she was looking over at the larger group of students as they began a new verse.

' _All of my hate_.'Was what she thought as she stared at them.

It's a wonder that nobody felt such a pointed stare…

A stare that slowly crumpled into a fierce and enraged snarl that kept getting angrier by the second. It truly showed off her feline heritage to pull an expression like that so easily.

Needless to say, Cafeteria...failed.

Blake didn't give up though, she went all across Beacon to find a quiet place to read her book.

She tried the recreation room.

"Die zombie scum!"

"Bro I need a better weapon, this rifle sucks!"

"Can someone please cover the window on the west side of the warehouse! I keep getting swarmed from behind!"

"Just check your six damn it i'm busy here-oh no wait wait, ahh! Damn zombie!"

Recreation Room:Failed.

She tried the lounge in the commons.

"If you don't want me to come by then just say so!"

"I didn't say you couldn't come by, I just said that if you come by then that's fine!"

"And i'm asking if you want me to come over!"

"Woman are you deaf?! I told you that it's cool if you wanna come over and chill, but I won't be mad if you don't!"

"Ugh! Why can't you just be straight with me about this! . .Over?!"

"Oh my Gosh…!"

Commons:Failed.

She tried the gym.

"Foul, your out!"

"What?! That's bull I didn't even touch him!"

"I saw what I saw, your out!"

"You need your eyes checked, I didn't even touch him, he's faking it!"

"I'm the referee, and I say your out!"

"Guys back me up you know that I didn't touch him!"

Gym:Failed.

She actually got so desperate that at one point...she even tried to teachers lounge.

Blake seized up, her expression one of pure terror. The book she cherished held protectively to her chest in a desperate grip to keep her sanity from snapping.

Blake began to pray in her head, a desperate gamble to throw up a request to the higher powers to save her. Deliver her from evil. Lead her to salvation.

But alas…

Nothing could save her from the soul piercing glare from those burning emerald eyes.

Blake could barely see her life flash before her eyes...her gaze instead drawn to the sight of miss Goodwitch of all people...in the frilliest pink dress she had ever seen, a pair of wings from the shoulders, and a large silver crown atop her head.

Apparently miss Goodwitch had come to the teachers lounge for a bit of personal time...and Blake had walked right in it.

With her hard green eyes holding Blake in place, she pointed her wand at her threateningly. No, not her riding crop, a wand. An honest to goodness silver wand with a five pointed star at the tip and, dare she say it, sparkles.

"You,"She growled, literally growled,"Will tell no one about this. Understood?!"

Her words were spoken slowly, threateningly, and with her waving her wand about, the sparkles somehow giving off a threatening air, it proved to be very hypnotic in all the sheer malice that was seeped into her every action. The trance was even strong enough to get Blake to nod her head without realising it.

Also without realising it, Blake's legs decided that it was time to 'get the heck outta dodge' and bolted without her permission. Not that she was complaining.

Teachers Lounge:Failed! **To The Max!**

' _This is ridiculous,_ 'Blake thought dejectedly.' _How hard is it to find one little spot to read in. Just one, is that too much to ask for!_ '

The day had proved very disappointing, all her attempts to read her book in peace were either thwarted by people debating, arguing, singing, raging, or…

Blake shivered. All of her mental strength had gone to erasing the image from her memory. If she could just repress it, hopefully it won't show up in a nightmare. And that's if she's lucky. She is a black cat afterall.

Blake froze midstep. Her mandatory mindwipe put on hold as she came to a realisation of what just happened.

She just made a pun. A really bad pun. If Yang ever found out...

She shivered again. This day, if it got any worse, she'd run away, again. But this time live under a rock, that way nobody could find her.

Shaking away her plans, Blake continued her trek around campus. At this point she just decided to wander around and hopefully she could find somewhere, anywhere to read comfortably.

After today, she needs it.

All her walking at lead her to the back of the school, here she had stumbled upon an actual maze cut and trim from the hedges around the area. There was a map that showed you the way around and she saw at the center of it was a garden of some sort, hopefully this was exactly what she was looking for.

So she walked in, following the directions she easily found the garden at the center.

And what a garden it was.

A small cobblestone path was the only thing without any vibrancy. The entirety of the small area covered in a vast array of flowers from different sizes, shapes and especially color.

And the air was so perfumed with the smell of them that Blake nearly passed out from of all it. At the center of it was a little pond of shining blue water, and just to its left was a brown wooden bench under the shade of a thick tree.

Blake did a double take when she realised, the bench was occupied.

In her defense, the soul occupant was just sitting there and not doing anything, so it was hard to notice them at first glance.

Looking closer, Blake got a good look at the person.

It was a girl, her skin a soft brown, and her hair was long and a darker orange with little black streaks among the strands.

She wore a form fitting short dress that stopped just above her knees that was just as colorful as all the flowers around her. The strangest thing about her though, was that she wore no shoes or socks.

Her bare feet were left exposed to the world.

Blake noticed that she had heard eyes closed and her fingers were folded gently in her lap.

Maybe she was meditating?

If so, Blake felt kinda bad for intruding on her. After today, she came to have a new appreciation for the peace and solitude.

So should she just leave? She was torn. On one hand, she didn't wanna be a bother but still, this was probably the only place left for her to read her book quietly.

Blake stewed this over for a minute before biting her lip and deciding that she would just be really silent. She'd ask her to just sit and tell her she won't be a bother. Yeah, that was it, nothing more, nothing less.

Gulping nervously, Blake started to walk forward, wincing at how loud her steps were. Why did she have to wear these stupid shoes?

As if she sensed her-heard most likely, stupid shoes- when she was close enough, the girl opened her eyes and looked right at Blake.

Her eyes were a light shade of amethyst, they almost seemed to shine with the sunlight.

Blake, feeling her nerves get to her, immediately froze and stared back.

' _Come on just ask to sit down!_ 'She told herself. Alas, she could not.

In her awkward state of mind, she idly noticed that the pond had a few fish swimming in it as well.

The other girl, having picked up on her nervousness through her body language, gave her a disarming smile that made her a little less anxious.

' _Okay, okay, just relax, take it slow. It's nothing huge, just ask to sit.'_ She thought.

"Hey,"She began slowly,"I've been looking for a place to read for a while and I couldn't find anywhere good so I've just been wandering around Beacon and I finally just came here and I hope i'm not interrupting you. I'll leave if you need me too, I understand if you want to be alone probably more than anyone...on campus…"

Hearing a light giggling sound from her made Blake realise that she was rambling. Since when did she ramble?!

Groaning in defeat, Blake slumped and asked dejectedly,"Do you mind if I sit?"

The girl simply giggled again and moved over for her to take the left side of the bench.

Heart nearly bursting in jubilation, Blake smiled and quickly sat down.

"Thank you, you have no idea how much I need this."She said with as much gratitude as she could muster.

The girl simply smiled softly and went back to her...whatever she was doing before.

With that out of the way, Blake set the book down on her lap and opened up to where she had left off.

 _ **He had awoken early the next morning, the task he was inspired for bringing him a sense of restlessness that wouldn't afford him sleep.**_

 _ **Before the sun was even up, he had snuck out of his home and made his way through the forest to find the little hut that housed the witch and...that girl.**_

Blake felt her heart start to beat in anticipation. Already she was imagining how the next interaction was gonna go, and the thought just made her more excited!

 _ **Hiding behind a tree in front of the small home, he sat thinking carefully about what to do next. In all honesty, he just wanted to go right up to the house and leave the doll right on the doorstep and leave. He didn't wanna get caught by the witch again.**_

 _ **Just thinking about it made his stomach twist in fear. But for some reason, he wanted to be here.**_

 _ **He wanted to give the girl back her doll and apologize for taking it.**_

 _ **But he didn't understand why!**_

' _They are officially my favorite couple in literature_.'Blake thought with a smile tugging at her lips. __

 _ **Groaning in frustration, the boy brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them to warm up. It was a lot colder than he thought it would be.**_

' _ **How do I get it to her,'He thought as he rubbed his arms furiously.'The witch will catch me if i'm not careful.'**_

 _ **As he tried to come up with a plan he suddenly froze when he heard the creaking of a door being opened.**_

Blake sat straighter as she turned the page.

 _ **As quietly as possible, he slowly sat up and turned to poke his head from around the tree.**_

 _ **His heart quickly jumped into his throat. It was the witch!**_

Feeling her leg start to bounce from the nervousness, Blake gulped in fear for the child. If this didn't go well, then he was in trouble. She didn't know what the old woman was capable of, and she kind of didn't want to.

 _ **Going completely still, the little boy held his breath as he watched the old woman step out of the house.**_

 _ **He was just as he remembered her.**_

 _ **Heavy robes, walking staff, wrinkled face, and her eyes…**_

 _ **His heart pounded harder in his chest as he looked at her eyes.**_

 _ **One a thick murky white, the other a cold dead black.**_

 _ **Reaching into his pocket, the boy touched the small doll and used it to remember why he was here.**_

' _He was brave even back then._ 'She thought approvingly,' _Scared but still willing to do what he needs to._ 'It was no wonder he was the hero of the story.

 _ **Taking a deep breath in, he stayed rooted to his spot. He watched as the old witch looked around her, huffed and bent down to pick up a basket near the door.**_

 _ **Placing it on her arm, she gave one last look around, once in his direction that made him duck behind the tree, and promptly walk off into the forest.**_

 _ **He watched her every step, he watched her form disappear behind the trees and even then, waited a little longer to make sure she was really gone.**_

After reading this, Blake actually breathed a little easier.

 _ **Feeling the sudden dryness in his throat, he swallowed when he realised that she was away and now was the perfect time.**_

' _Yes, now is the perfect time!_ '

 _ **But what if she comes back? Then what will he do?**_

' _No no no, now is not the time to have doubts!_ 'She shouted mentally.

 _ **Gritting his teeth, the boy struggled internally before deciding.**_

 _ **With a deep breath in and out he slowly stood up, checked his surroundings one more time, and quickly made his way to the door.**_

Blake could hear her own heart beat. This anticipation was killing her!

 _ **As soon as he was in front of it, he paused to consider if he should just walk in or announce himself.**_

 _ **If he did the latter, the witch might hear him…**_

 _ **With that thought he immediately pushed the door open.**_

Blake laughed softly at this.

 _ **As the morning sun flooded the room, he saw that it looked the same. Same jars, pots, and tapestries. But one thing was different.**_

 _ **His breath caught.**_

Gripping the book a little tighter, Blake brought the book closer to her face.

 _ **The small form sat with their back turned to him. But he knew exactly who it was.**_ _**How could he not when that same white dress had pervaded his dreams?**_

' _Stay calm, stay calm!_ 'She thought as her heart tried to pound it's way out of her chest.' _Please please don't mess this up, I don't think my heart can take it!_ 'She turned the page.

 _ **It was her.**_

 _ **There she was, just sitting on her sleeping mat, not doing anything. It was now or never.**_

 _ **But before he could even think about what to do next, she slowly turned around. Her silver eyes met his grey.**_

 _ **His heart stopped.**_

Blake's did as well.

 _ **For a while, neither of them did anything. He stared at her and she him. Her eyes widened slightly at his sudden appearance but besides that she didn't do anything else.**_

 _ **Silence had never been so loud for him. He made a few attempts to say something, but his nerves prevented him from saying anything.**_

A cold sweat started to break out on her forehead. Blake was afraid that if something didn't happen soon, then the old woman would be back and kick him out before he could reach out to her.

' _Please hurry!_ 'She urged as she bit her bottom lip.

 _ **He was taken off guard when suddenly, she stood up from her place on the mat and slowly walked over to stand directly in front of him.**_

Blake swallowed in anxiousness.

 _ **He felt his legs get shaky at just how close she stood. She didn't seem bothered by it however, she stood as close as she could without invading his personal space.**_

 _ **And she didn't even seem bothered at him being here. Just curious. Her head tilted to the side in question.**_

The mental image was enough for Blake to internally squeal at how cute they were.

 _ **Giving up on trying to say something for now, he just reached into his pocket and pulled out the cause of this whole thing.**_

 _ **Her eyes lit up.**_

 _ **Cradled gently in his palm was the doll he had unintentionally taken. He was sure to be real careful with it so it wouldn't be damaged.**_

 _ **Without saying a word, he held the doll out to her.**_

 _ **She looked at the doll, then him, then the doll again. Like she almost couldn't understand what she wanted him to do.**_

 _ **That irritated him.**_

" _ **Take it!"He commanded. She jumped.**_

Blake had to stop herself from facepalming.

' _This is not how you apologise._ 'She thought in irritation. Why did boys have to be so stupid sometimes?

 _ **He instantly felt bad.**_

' _Good._ 'Blake nodded.

 _ **Gritting his teeth in anger, he took a deep breath to calm himself down and tried again.**_

" _ **This is yours,"He explained softly,"I didn't mean to take it from you. And i'm…"**_

 _ **He shut his eyes and looked away and said reluctantly,"...sorry."**_

 _ **Silence.**_

 _ **He had done it, the thing that had been weighing in his heart for the past few days. What's supposed to happen now?**_

Blake flipped the page wondering the exact same thing.

 _ **He doesn't know how long he stood there for, but after a while, he felt the doll slowly lift from his hand.**_

 _ **He turned back and opened his eyes.**_

 _ **She held the doll gently in both hands and looked it over. He watched as her small fingers gently stroked the dress and through it's raven black hair.**_

 _ **Then as if finally recognizing the doll, she smiled brightly and brought it to her chest in a loving hug.**_

' _My heart is melting. Oh what a world…_ 'Blake thought as an intense heat lit up her chest.

 _ **He watched this all take place and suddenly felt a smile come to him as well.**_

 _ **When she looked to him, her eyes shined in happiness and she giggled with her large smile.**_

 _ **His smile fell when he felt his face get unexplainably hot.**_

' _I don't know how much longer I can do this, anymore and I might pass 're so adorable!_ '

 _ **He turned away and scowled.**_

" _ **S-so, there you go. I'm not apologising again."**_

 _ **He looked back and saw her still smiling at him. The heat intensified.**_

' _ **Why is she so happy? It's just a stupid doll.'He thought in irritation of how embarrassed he felt.**_

 _ **She giggled at his funny behavior.**_

 _ **The heat started to spread.**_

" _ **I uh...never got your name earlier."He said uncertainty.**_

 _ **He introduced himself.**_

Blake had to wonder why the author never gave him a name.

" _ **What's your name?"He asked.**_

 _ **He noticed that she looked down and shied away from him a little.**_

" _ **What's the matter?"He inquired as he noticed how shy she was acting now."You do have a name don't you?"**_

 _ **Her toes started to curl as she became more nervous by the second.**_

 _ **He sighed in exasperation. Fine, if she didn't wanna tell him then that's her problem.**_

 _ **Anyway, he should probably get going, just in case the witch came back.**_

" _ **Alright then...bye"He said awkwardly.**_

 _ **He turned to leave.**_

" _ **Mono…"**_

 _ **He blinked.**_

Blake's eyes started to widen.

 _ **Turning around he looked back to see her giving a soft smile while she still held the doll to her chest.**_

" _ **Huh?"He said in shock.**_

 _ **She swallowed nervously but kept her smile.**_

" _ **My name...it's Mono."**_

 _ **He blinked in surprise. Her voice was light, quiet and sent a tingle down his spine. He stood rooted in place, partly hoping she would keep talking. And she did.**_

" _ **Will you…"She looked to the side,"Will you come back again?"She asked before looking to him again.**_

Feeling her lower lip start to wobble, Blake had to blink away the moisture that started to build in her eyes. Everything about this scene was amazing, this just might be her favorite part in the book so far.

 _ **It took him a second to realise she asked hims something.**_

" _ **Uhh...I don't know."He answered unsurely.**_

 _ **Her eyes lost some of it's previous shine and he instantly wanted it to come back.**_

" _ **Please,"She meekly pleaded,"Please say you'll come back. I want you to come back."**_

 _ **He blinked.**_

 _ **She wanted him to…?**_

 _ **Why?**_

 _ **He was so distracted he didn't even realise that she had walked up to him and had grabbed onto his tunic.**_

 _ **He started when he saw the sad and desperate look in her eyes. It was like she was putting all her faith and hope into him coming to see her again. But why?**_

" _ **Please promise me,"She begged,"Promise you'll come back again?"**_

 _ **His heart hammered in his chest painfully and the heat from before returned to light up his entire body.**_

 _ **Her voice…**_

 _ **It sounded so...broken….**_

 _ **Why was she so dependant on him? He barely even knew her? Why would he risk being captured by the witch and killed for someone he didn't even know? His resolve started to break the longer he looked at her though and he realised.**_

 _ **It was her eyes.**_

 _ **In the face of eyes so lonely and afraid, he couldn't even think about saying no. Witch or no witch, curse or no curse.**_

 _ **With only a moments hesitation he made his vow,"I...I promise."**_

 _ **Her eyes shined again.**_

 **(-)**

Blake gently set the book aside and looked ahead.

' _I need a moment._ 'Blake thought as the scene kept replaying in her head. That was one of the most precious scenes she has ever read!

Blinking away the tears that threatened to burst from her eyes, Blake took a deep breath to relax and calm herself.

"Good book?"

Blake started slightly.

Turning to her right she saw that the girl she was sitting next to was looking at her curiously with a small smile. Her voice was smooth and quiet, she almost didn't hear her.

And embarrassingly she had actually forgotten that the other girl was still here…

"Uh, yeah its really good so far."Blake replied.

"I bet,"She laughed,"What with how your face kept changing while you read it."

The tips of her ears burned as she was reminded that reading this book in front of people was not a good idea. You'd think she would've learned from last time.

The girl laughed again.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh at you,"She chuckled with mirth."It's just, your face, you look so embarrassed!"She laughed even harder.

Despite her own mortification, she was able to wave it off with a small smile.

When the girl finally settled down after a good long laugh she turned to Blake sheepishly.

"My apologies,"She said,"I don't mean to disturb you while your reading, I was just curious."

"It's fine."Blake assured.

"I don't mean to be nosy but, can I ask why you're here? Not many other people really like to come around here."She inquired as she looked at Blake inquisitively.

Feeling a little uncomfortable, Blake answered anyway,"I-uh-was having some trouble finding a quiet place to read."

"Your dorm mates making too much noise?"She asked, which actually sounded more like a statement.

"Yeah,"Blake smiled,"I love them like family but they just really drive me crazy sometimes."

Blake turned to her,"Yours too?"

"Oh yeah,"She sighed,"I'm the only girl on my team, so i'm lumped with a group of loud and abrasive idiots that have to turn everything into a contest."

She smiled as she added,"Which is actually really fun, but sometimes even I could use a break."

"You guys get along?"Blake inquired. She shrugged.

"We have our ups and downs, but we're a lot better off then we were when we first started off."

Blake nodded, she knew all about that.

They were lulled into a silence that Blake found somewhat uncomfortable, so she decided to change the subject.

"So, you come here often?"She said before she could stop herself.

Silence.

A bird twittered by, and the water ran in the small pool.

The girl stared at her strangely.

And Blake felt like smacking herself.

' _Really?Is that the best I could come up with?_ '

Blake watched as the girls lips started to twitch and her eyes squinted as she tried to hold back on her urge to laugh.

And since laughter was infectious, Blake felt her own urge to laugh come up too.

The girl broke first however when she let out a very unladylike snort.

"Hahahaha!"She laughed boisterously.

Blake followed soon after, her own laugh mixing in to make the moment all the funnier for the two of them.

After about a minute, they began to quiet down and wipe at there eyes as the hilarity had passed them.

"T-to answer your question,"She chuckled lightly,"I do, come here fairly often. It's a nice quiet place that I get to enjoy away from everything."

Once Blake had settled enough, she spoke,"And I happened to stumble on it by chance, ruining your little sanctuary."

The girl shook her head.

"I wouldn't go that far. Having you here has actually been fun for me. I've actually been meaning to have some company here with me. But I just didn't know who to ask. I'm glad you accidently came here."She smiled brightly.

Smiling back she nodded,"I am too. This is a really nice spot."

She looked around and felt herself relax even more at the scenery of the small but beautiful garden.

"I would've started coming here sooner if I knew it existed. It's a perfect reading area."Blake commented.

"Yeah,"The girl said softly as she looked up into the tree,"Really quiet and peaceful."

"The best part is probably the flowers,"Blake said with a smile. She didn't even notice the other girls face wilt somewhat.

"Do you, like flowers?"She asked softly.

Blake shrugged,"I'm not the biggest fan but I do stop to look at them once in a while. But with how vibrant this place is, it's impossible to not enjoy them."

She turned to the girl.

"What about you? Do you like them?"

The girl turned her head away and spoke very calmly,"I enjoy the smell of them, yes."

Blake lifted an eyebrow curiously. Was it something she said?

Just as she was about to ask if she was alright, a sudden chime sounded. The girl pulled her scroll out of her pocket and looked at the quick message.

She laughed and shook her head.

"Looks like my boys are being boys again. I gotta go and make sure nothing breaks."

Standing up she gave Blake one last smile before holding out her hand.

"Hopefully I'll see you around. And I just realised I never gave you my name:I'm Lily Tigresa. It was nice to meet you."

Blake smiled back and grasped her hand in a firm handshake.

"Blake Belladonna, likewise."

After she let go, Lily cast a look around the garden. Blake blinked in surprise when she noticed that the look in her eyes was now sad and resigned. The mood change worried her somewhat.

"Lily?"She called worryingly.

Turning back to Blake, Lily had a smile that matched the sad look in her eyes.

"You should stop and admire the flowers more often. It's a real luxury that a lot of people don't appreciate."

Her words stunned Blake into silence.

"Seeyah around,"She said pleasantly before she turned and walked away.

Blake blinked in confusion as she watched her leave.

' _What was that about?_ 'She thought in uncertainty.

Filing the girls strange behaviour for later, Blake picked up her book and decided to continue onward.

 **The darkness was beginning to become familiar, the quiet cold of the black abyss had at first been confusing and alarming, but now was a silent reassurance to him that he had succeeded in his task.**

 **Unseen by him however, was the third shadow that now stood over his still form.**

' _They have to be the spirits of the colossus he slayed, they can't be anything else._ 'Blake thought resoloutley.

 **He was almost sad when his senses returned to him.**

 **Hearing the breaking and crumbling of rock confirmed that another statue had been broken.**

 **As he tried to move, he flinched as a sharp pain sparked up and down his right arm.**

Blake's gasped in alarm. Was his arm alright?! She remembered him injuring it in the last chapter.

 **Grunting and grinding his teeth in pain his other hand found itself around his other arm to cradle it softly. He slowly sat up and breathed deeply to keep himself calm.**

 **Looking down, he swore as he saw that his arm-at the elbow-was now bent in the wrong direction.**

Wincing at the mental image, Blake felt a small shiver along her own arm as she imagined how painful that must be.

 **He was so focused on his injury that he hardly noticed the oppressive and gentle presence of Dormin arrive in the shrine.**

 **But he definitely felt his voice.**

" **Thy next foe is...In the land of the vast green fields...Rows of guiding graves...It is giant indeed but fearful, it is not."**

Blake quirked her brow at this.

 **When he felt Dormin's presence leave the room he shook of the chills that traveled down his back and instead focused on his injury.**

' _ **Damn it**_ **!'He swore bitterly.'** _ **What am I gonna do now**_ **?!'**

 **He couldn't just give up because of this, too much was riding on his quest! But at the same time…**

 **He grit his teeth and snarled at his useless arm.**

 **Even if he somehow fashioned a splint then it would still just hold him back. He couldn't fight with a broken arm.**

Blake at this point was also very interested to see what was gonna happen next. It was as he said, he couldn't fight with a broken arm, and it seemed like he couldn't even fix it somewhat.

Blake turned the page and continued on.

 **Cradling his arm he slowly stood up, taking deep breaths to keep his heartbeat steady whenever he felt a sharp bolt of pain spark in his arm. When he finally got to his feet, he took a second to think about his next actions.**

 **To even attempt to fight another Colossus how he was now would no doubt be nothing less then suicidal, not that the task itself wasn't already. And if he's honest with himself, all his victories have been nothing but extreme cases of luck.**

 **His archery was well off, but his practice with the sword was mediocre at best. He could barely even hold his sword correctly sometimes.**

' _Hmm, interesting_ ,'Blake thought,' _So he's not as much as a warrior as I thought he was. While he does have some skills with the bow, he isn't good at up close fighting itself._ '

Tucking that bit of information for later she kept reading.

 **So with a broken arm...what use was he now?**

 **A familiar whinny brought him out of his dark musings. He looked over and sighed in relief to see Agro trotting up the steps to meet him.**

' _At least Agro is okay,_ 'Blake thought. As long as Agro was alright, then everything would be fine.

 **Meeting his companion half-way he sighed as the black horse looked him over in worry and sniffed at his broken arm.**

" **Yeah it's not good."He said to his best friend. Agro neighed softly.**

" **I don't know what i'm gonna do. I can't just quit."**

 **He sighed.**

" **At the same time I know that it's a bad idea to keep going with my arm like this. I'll just end up getting myself killed."**

 **He scoffed. As if this wasn't already risky enough to get him killed.**

Blake agreed.

 **He stayed quiet to think over his next course of action.**

" **Giving up is obviously not an option,"He muttered to himself,"I guess the next thing I need to do is figure out a way to fix my arm to some extent. But how?"**

 **Agro huffed.**

 **He stumbled forward when Agro took a good chunk of his cloak in his mouth and pulled him forward.**

Blake blinked, surprised by this turn of events. What was he doing?

" **H-Hey! What are you doing?! Let go-OW!"Stumbling forward as he tried his best to cradle his arm and fight Agro's pull. He wasn't succeeding in either.**

" **What's gotten into you? Where are you taking me?"He cried as Agro proved to be too much for his crippled body to handle.**

As amusing as the scene was, Blake was honestly interested to see where this was going.

 **His best friend seemed to ignore every word he said as he pulled him out of the temple and didn't let go until after they were both outside.**

 **When Agro released him, he glared at the horse for the rough treatment.**

" **And what was the purpose of all that?"He asked in irritation. Agro stomped his hoof and pointed with his neck to the thing they stood in front of.**

 **The young man looked to the rock slab that sat in front of the temple.**

 **He turned back to Agro,"The altar? What about it?"He asked unsurely.**

 **More stomps and gestures were his answer.**

 **Raising his eyebrow the boy looked back at the stone altar again.**

 **The rectangular stone was carved with strange symbols and pictures that he couldn't even begin to decipher. A part of him would've like to know what it was saying but he just didn't have the time to figure it out.**

 **He turned to his companion and shrugged.**

 **The horse huffed again.**

Blake snickered. It seems even Agro could gets annoyed with people. And that just made him all the more relatable and loveable in her eyes.

" **H-Hey will you stop that?"He argued as Agro started to push him forward. His friend managed to shove him right in front of the altar and stomped his hooves more harshly this time.**

 **Giving the horse a hard glare he looked back to the altar for a better look at the images.**

 **It was tall he noted as his eyes lazily drifted over the rocks surface.**

" **I don't see what you want from me here."He confessed after a minute of silence.**

 **He swore he could almost hear Agro sigh before he was shoved once more, this time crashing into the altar.**

" **Hey!"He yelled angrily as he looked back at the horse."You are really pushing your luck, I swear if you push me one more time-"**

 **He stopped.**

Blake's eyebrow raised in question. Just what was he gonna do she wondered.

 **He took a glance up at the altar. For a split second, he could've sworn-**

 **There!**

 **He blinked to make sure he wasn't wrong. Nothing.**

 **Was it a trick of the light? What was going-**

 **Again! There it was again!**

' _What is going on?_ 'Blake wondered, completely befuddled by Wanders behavior. Was he suddenly going crazy?

 **Backing up slightly he stared at the stone Altar for a few seconds before it happened again.**

 **In a quick flash the symbols on the altar shone with a white light before it faded again.**

' _What is that?_ 'Blake thought curiously.

 **Was he imagining it?**

 **He turned to look at Agro but his friend just gestured to go towards the altar again. He looked to the altar again, this time with trepidation. Taking a few steps forward he slowly lowered his broken arm, wincing as it swung loosely by his side.**

 **With his good arm however, he reached out and put his hand and gently placed it against the altars cool smooth surface.**

Blake leaned forward in excitement.

 **The glow returned, this time slower but brighter. He squinted his eyes shut as the light proved to blinding to look at.**

 **Then with a jolt, he gasped.**

Blake sat up straight in surprised.

 **X.x.X.x.X**

 **Whispers. He could hear them. All around the voices spoke to him; speaking to his mind, heart and soul.**

 **They whispered warnings, pleadings, rants. Turn back, turn away now before it's too late. One voice spoke above them however. A loud resounding voice that silenced the others. It whispered power, vengeance, and justice. Promising torment for all that wronged him. He could see the fires, feel the blood on his hands from the hundreds he had killed. His heart pounded as his bloodlust demanded more. More death, more blood! All would pay, all must pay! They would know his pain!**

 **And once he was satisfied he would move on. He would go, and he would conquer everything. Then and only then would he be happy. Showered in gold and glory: he would eat from the freshest fruits and breads, drink only the best wine to be had in all the lands. And the whole world would bow.**

 **He would be worshipped and obeyed and any who dared stand in his way would be slaughtered.**

 **He saw it all, his most selfish desires and dreams would become reality and he would be made to become this worlds king.**

 **No, this worlds God!**

 **He felt all his rage and regrets vanish as he beheld his kingdom. His heart pounded in exhilaration as the millions of people sank to their knees and sang praises to his name!**

 **Yes! Yes! Sing louder! More parades! More cheering! The festivals are to never stop! Don't you know who he is? He is God! Look at the power at his fingers, look at it and be humbled! Know that he is God! More temples, more shrines, worship his image at all times! Never let his praise leave your tongues!**

 **He laughed maniacally as his kingdom grew to cover the entire world. No part was untouched, it was all his!**

 **He had everything! Look into his home, all things could be found there. His weapons, the most deadly in the land. His bed, the finest sheets to ever be crafted rested there. Money? He owned every precious stone ever discovered, mountains of them were his alone.**

 **What more could he want? Nonsense, he has all things!**

 **Subjects? Millions of them!**

 **Food? Only the best of the best ever entered his mouth!**

 **An Army? Hundreds of thousands of soldiers volunteered to fight under him!**

 **What need have he to want when he has everything! What's that you fool? Speak up! A Queen? Why would he have a queen? No God needs a queen!**

 **Ha! Why would he have...a queen?**

 **His eyes widened as he looked around his splendor.**

 **He...he did have a queen. Where was she? Where was she?!**

 **Ice gripped his heart as he searched for her. But he could not find her. He commanded his armies, find his queen! His subjects were told as well. Everyone was to look, not one rock was to be unturned! His queen must be found! He looked over the entire world but she was nowhere. No! He has lost his queen! Where was his queen! Where was, where was...where was Mono?**

 **X.x.X.x.X**

 **He stumbled back and landed on his arse.**

…

Blake stared at her book wide eyed and mouth partly gaping as her mind reeled from what she had just read.

' _What the hell_?'Was all he mind could think of while she struggled the scene in the book.

After a full minute of shock, Blake blinked and shook her head to clear her mind.

' _Whoa_ ,'She thought as her heart pounded in her ears,'That was intense.' Temptation is a scary thing, and Wander was as weak to it as anyone would be in that situation. Blake could understand having moments of weakness but that...that was something else. Still, she wondered, if faced with ultimate power where she could literally do anything she wanted; what would she do?

Immediately she started thinking about the White Fang. If she had the power, then she would stop them from ever hurting anyone ever again. She'd put an end to their path of death and hatred and make them start over. They'd do things the right way this time. No more violence, no more sabotage, no more threats and especially no more members who supported that.

No more Adams.

The familiar heat of her resolution came into her stomach as she remembered all the horrible things he had done in the name of the Faunus. How he smeared their name in the mud, marred what they were fighting for into a senseless plot for genocide and made them become the things that humans feared and hated.

' _All for nothing,_ 'Blake thought with a hard glare. If she had the power...she'd stop Adam once and for all. Her old friend was gone, a beast was all that remained, and it had to be put down.

Afterwards though, she'd use whatever remaining power she had to help all who suffered by the Faunus people's hands. Show the people that they were worth more than killers. And she'd even use some of her power to bring back all of innocent people who di-

' _Do you believe it's right to meddle in the affairs of death?'_

She froze. Ozpin's words echoing in her mind like a bell tower.

As they began to sink in, Blake felt her earlier ire begin to wane until she was left unsure about her entire plan.

Would she bring the dead back to life? Something about it just seemed so...wrong. In certain instances she would probably want to but, how could she?

' _I'll talk to Ozpin about that part later,_ 'She decided as she continued reading.

 **With a cold sweat running down his forehead, and his heart thundering in his chest, the young wanderer breathed heavily as he returned to reality. A rough shiver traveled across his body as he remembered all the sensations of his trance induced fantasy.**

' _ **Wha...why...I-I don't,**_ **'He thought in dismay. All those feelings, were they really his? Why would he do all those horrible things? He didn't want that...he didn't want any of that!**

 **Curling up into a ball he heard himself whimper in fear.**

" **I'm not a monster. I'm not a monster. I'm not a monster** _ **.**_ **"He cried softly. Is he really? He sobbed harder.**

Face scrunched up in pity, Blake felt her heart squeeze as his thoughts made her remember her own. She's had to tell herself this numerous times in the past. She said it so much that she must've finally convinced herself that it was true.

Now he just needs to do the same.

 **He felt Agro's snout poke the top of his head as his friend neighed softly in concern. He numbly lifted his hand and ran his hand along his companions face.**

 **Not even realising it was the hand on the arm he had previously broken.**

Blake blinked in surprise and reread the sentence again. His arm is healed?! It must've been the shrine. But, how did Agro know the shrine would help? Did he know the shrine would make Wander see those things?

 **He doesn't know how long he sat there, simply content to listen to Agro's breathing as he tried to calm himself from the horrific nightmare he just bared witness to.**

 **Replaying the whole scenario in his head, it all started when he listened to that voice. The voice offered him everything he desired, and it showed him just how much he could have if he just accepted it's offer for power. And look what it led to. He had everything in the world, accept for what he wanted most.**

 **Heart pounding with pain and guilt his tears turned bitter as he recalled how she was not there, amidst all the treasure, his most valuable thing was nowhere.**

 **Mono was not with him.**

Blake bit her lower lip to stop it from quivering.

 **He missed her silent presence, the loving and patient way she looked at him whenever his temper flared over the most simple things. She was everything he was not, the thing that made up for his flaws. And she wasn't there.**

 **His shoulders slumped as the familiar weight of her loss came to him again.**

 **Damn him, damn that old fool. Why couldn't he save her?**

' _Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry!_ 'Blake thought desperately. It wasn't fair that a book could get her this emotional. It's a good thing she's alone now.

 **Even as his guilt pulsed through his veins, his determination started to return as well. Slowly he felt his blood grow warmer with every breath he took. His hands curled into fists and his eyes burned with a righteous rage.**

 **No more weakness.**

 **Sniffling a few more times he wiped his face with his arm and stood up. Agro regarded him warily as the young man refused to drop his glare and climbed on top of his mount without saying a single word.**

 **Snatching the sword out the sheathe, the young wanderer lifted the blade into the air to catch the sunlight. After the light converged into a single beam it pointed to the southeast where in the distance stood tall cliffs and just the tiniest sliver of an opening between them.**

 **Snarling with barely restrained aggression, he steered Agro in the direction and with a sharp kick to the sides sent them into a fast gallop.**

 **As they charged across the field, the young man let his mind drift back to the vision at the Altar, and that fueled his anger as he pushed Agro to his limits. His anger filled mind ready for his next opponent.**

Frowning slightly at the slight mistreatment to Agro, Blake turned the page and silently hoped that his 'anger filled mind' wouldn't be his undoing in the long run.

 **With Agro at full gallop for the majority of the ride, they made it to the cliffs in about twenty five minutes with Agro being completely exhausted by the end.**

 **When they finally got close, he allowed Agro a brief rest before pushing onward, this time at a slow walk.**

 **As they traveled between the cliffs, the sun was completely blocked by the towering rocks around them and the path became cramped between the cliffs. So they were forced to go slowly through the shadowy area to avoid bumping into the walls and making it out safely.**

 **When they finally cleared the path, they were met with a verdant alcove, partly shrouded in a light fog.**

 **Scanning the alcove for his next opponent, the young man led Agro down the twisting path into the vibrant green area.**

 **Reaching the bottom he and Agro continued forward, deeper into the misty alcove. Looking around, the young wanderer noticed that the four ruins were spread out amongst the grassy area and covered with moss and dirt. He almost stopped to examine them, but he forced himself to keep moving.**

 **Once they passed the ruins, they arrived in front of a huge wall of fog that seemed to be the thickest around the area.**

 **The young man squinted his eyes as he noticed a large shadow sat still in the mist. His eyes widened when the shadow started to move.**

Blake squirmed anxiously in her seat, here we go!

 **He watched transfixed as the shadow shifted from the left to the right before it began to rise.**

 **Eyes following the rising shadow, he allowed himself a small gulp when the giant finally burst through the fog.**

 **He leaned down next to Agro's ear.**

" **You think you can convince him to surrender?"He whispered while keeping his eyes on the new colossus.**

 **Agro whinnied fearfully.**

 **This colossus was much like the ones before. Stone armor covering most of its body, what wasn't covered was instead occupied by thick fur, the most notable thing about this one however; it was a horse.**

 **And poor Agro was probably very confused by this.**

A horse colossus? Agro was probably more than confused, he was probably terrorfied. Blake hoped he was okay.

 **The giant horse stood up on it's four legs, casting it's huge shadow over them as the duo eyed their challenger warily.**

**Once it's gaze settled onto them however, it began to move, and the young boy realised instantly that it didn't have hooves, but sharp pointed appendages made of the same rock armor on the rest of its body. And one of them was immediately headed towards them.**

 **Move!**

 **Agro reared back and charged away just as the giant spike embedded itself right where they just were, kicking up dust and dirt into the air.**

 **Looking back as they created a distance from the giant horse, the wanderer saw its eyes glow the angry orange that he was now accustomed to whenever a colossus was mad. This was gonna be fun.**

Blake could literally _feel_ the sarcasm in that one line.

 **Riding across the alcove, the young man jumped off Agro when he was far enough and shooed his friend away for now. No need to have him get hit in the crossfire.**

Blake approved of this action.

 **Slipping his bow off of his back, he loaded arrow after arrow in the tall beasts hide. He swore to see most shots bounce off it's armor and only a small margin actually land.**

 **He felt his heart beat harder as the monster quickly got closer with every powerful step, and he started to back up.**

 **Eyes widening in fear with how close it was getting, the young man didn't notice that he was on top of one of the ruins and that backing up had put him right on the edge.**

 **When a spike came too close he jumped back, and instantly fell off of the top of the ruin.**

 **He landed squarely on his back and coughed as all the breath was cast out of his lungs, looking up through distorted vision he was met with the smoldering eyes of the colossus.**

 **He pushed himself onto his feet and briefly noticed an entrance into the ruin he had been on top of, and without hesitation threw himself into it.**

 **A second later and he would've been impaled by the giant horse's leg as it crashed into his previous spot.**

Blake swallowed as she imagined just how awful a death that would be. A part of her was actually grateful she didn't ever have to fight a colossus in her life.

 **Tumbling down a flight of stairs he rubbed his head when he came to a stop after hitting it solidly against the last step. He looked back up to the top of the steps and cringed as the giant horse's face was hanging upside down, blocking the doorway and staring at him with all the intensity a giant monster could muster.**

Blake shivered as the image was both disturbing yet...creepily amusing at the same time.

 **Seeing how the way he came in was blocked, he decided that he could only go deeper into the ruins and hope to find another way out.**

 **Turning to the path on his right, he made a mad dash through the ruins, looking for a new way out to the surface. He stumbled as the ceiling rumbled and shaked, showering him in enough dust and dirt to make him cough and sputter. The quakes most likely from the beast's powerful steps.**

 **He crashed around the dark for a few minutes before he finally found another entrance at the top of another flight of steps.**

 **Mentally sighing in relief, he made a run for the exit; but only just made it to the opening when the beasts speared leg dropped in front of him and launched him back with the shockwave it created.**

Blake felt herself grow anxious as the Wander continued to struggle against this new colossus. The terrain is different, all his other fights had an open space to fight in, but with him being trapped in those ruins, he's having an issue getting his footing.

 **Tumbling harshly down the stairs, the wanderer came to a stop when he smacked harshly against the wall at the bottom.**

Blake winced.

 **He lifted himself up with a groan and beheld the entrance at the top. The horse colossus had continued stamping near the entrance a few more times before it lowered its head again to stare him directly in the eyes and somehow promise him all the agony in the world before it would end him.**

 **But as afraid as he felt, he couldn't help himself from glaring back.**

This made Blake smile. She was proud that he wouldn't back down, even if he was still scared.

 **Staggering to his feet, he hobbled on to find a different path. He tripped when the entire ruin shook again as the giant walked above him again. He grit his teeth in annoyance as he felt the giant was literally following him.**

 **When he made it to the next set of stairs he paused and ducked to the side. He waited a few seconds before he heard the loud stomping of the giant horse at the top of the steps blocking his way out. Peeking around the corner he saw two rock columns lower before the rest of the giant's head filled the doorway.**

 **The mighty horse looked for him but he was quick to stay hidden from it's sight.**

 **He heard the beast snort in displeasure for not seeing him and immediately leave the doorway to stomp away somewhere else.**

' _Yes!_ 'Blake mentally cheered. Now get out of there!

 **He was about to make a run for the exit when he paused.**

Blake's heart seized. What was he doing?!

 **If he remembers correctly, there were four ruins at the top, and he just went to three of them. He hid himself from the third so the beast most likely thinks he went to the fourth one instead. While he could indeed just run out of this door, he'd then be in the same place as when he started the fight.**

 **But, he had an idea.**

 **Everytime the giant lowers its head to check to see if he's still in the ruins alive, and when it does, the two columns on the side of its face lower first. If he's quick enough…**

Not following his line of thought, Blake sat confused for a minute before continuing.

 **Dashing through the ruins-he was used to the darkness by now-he ran as fast as his legs could carry him to the last doorway. He heard the giant stomping again as he neared the last set of stairs.**

 **Skidding to a stop in front of the steps he watched as the giants spear-like limb stabbed into the ground aggressively in front of the doorway.**

 **He waited until it finally stopped before he started up the steps.**

 **Hopping two steps at a time he prayed his strategy would work and that the time wouldn't be off.**

' _This isn't going to end well._ 'Blake thought nervously over his brash action.

 **His prayers were heard when only a few steps from the front, the columns started to lower themselves.**

 **Now!**

 **Jumping forward, he reached out and latched onto the bottom of the one on the right.**

Blake gasped softly.

 **The beast, apparently surprised by this tactic started slightly and rose its head up, with him attached to the column.**

Blake shook her head approvingly, not a bad strategy, if a little reckless.

 **With an iron grip on the rock, he climbed the column, being sure to circle around so he was climbing up to it's cheek instead of to its chin.**

 **Once he got passed the column, he latched onto the rock that shielded it's face and pulled himself up further.**

 **The colossus's eye burned like fire as it beheld him climbing up the side of its face.**

 **He paid the things ire no mind as he finally reached the top of the head. Unsheathing his blade he held it up to the light and watched as the life saving sigil appeared below his feet.**

 **He was quick to stab the sword into the beasts skull.**

 **The horse whinnied in pain and bucked violently as an unfamiliar agony speared into its head and traveled to the rest of its body.**

' _Come on, come on_ ,'Blake thought in nervous excitement.

 **Clutching onto the giants fur for dear life, the young wanderer waited til the horse got tired enough to stop, rip out the sword and stab it again**.

 **He covered his eyes and held on as a familiar black mist sprayed him in the face from the stab wound and the beast began to buck once more.**

 **As he lifted for the third stab, he was unprepared for the giant to suddenly stand on its back legs and have him go tumbling down it's back.**

Blake's heart froze in fear.

 **By the middle of its back he grabbed onto a fistful of fur and dangled precariously from its back as the giant horse stayed on its back legs for a few more seconds before falling back to all four.**

Blake sighed heavily in relief.

 **Falling against its back, the young wanderer was met with a face full of fluff that left him spitting and coughing from how unwashed and scruffy it tasted in his mouth.**

She chuckled slightly at the image.

 **He lifted his head slowly as glared murderously at the sigil that glowed weakly, probably only needing one more hit before it was done.**

 **Baring his teeth in a fierce snarl he stood up and made a mad dash for the head once again.**

Blake bit her bottom lip. This was it!

 **With full long strides he raced across the monsters back, sword clasped tightly in both hands his eyes blazed with determination to end the tiresome fight.**

 **The colossus turned its head to look back at him, eyes burning with the weak intent to fight and survive. But he glared back definitely and charged faster.**

 **With two bounding strides he jumped up and over the back of the neck, sword held high above his head, he roared in primal fury to kill his prey. When he descended he brought the sword down and struck.**

Blake shivered at how epic the mental image was.

 **Letting out a dying groan the giant horse stumbled on its feet a few more times before submitting to it's wounds, its sharp legs crumbled from under it and fell to its side.**

 **To exhausted to jump off, the wanderer let himself be carried by the fall and crash into grass below him.**

 **Breathing heavily he laid prone on the ground next to the giants corpse, no intention to move as he knows exactly what was gonna happen next.**

 **He was proven correct when he heard a familiar hissing through the air and knew that any second now, the tendrils would strike him soon enough.**

 **He braced himself and held his breath, and not a second later, the cold stabbing of the black tendrils pierced his body and he was left to squirm on the ground in pain until they were done.**

 **The darkness came soon after.**

Chapter six begun the next page.

Saving her spot Blake sighed heavily as she finally finished the chapter. And what a chapter it was. There was so much to it that she could point out. So much she _wanted_ to point out. She needed to schedule a time with Ozpin.

Quickly taking out her scroll she sent him a quick message asking when he could make time for another talk about the book.

She didn't have to wait long for a reply.

' _When your classes end tomorrow, meet me in my office, I'll have refreshment ready when you arrive._ 'it read.

After sending her confirmation she put her scroll away and leaned back into the bench to stare at her surroundings once more.

Despite how stressful today was, she was glad to be able to say it ended on a high note.

Good book, nice quite scenery, it was all she could ask for. And she was looking forward to her next meeting with Ozpin so she could gush about the book some more.

Absolutely nothing could spoil her mood right now.

 **Headmaster's Office**

Nodding as he received Blakes confirmation to talk tomorrow the headmaster of the academy put away his scroll and turned back to his guest.

"Sorry about that, now what can I help you with old friend?"Ozpin asked politely.

"Thank you Ozpin, you see, I have a bit of an inquiry that I tried to let go but just couldn't for the longest time. And so I've come to you for an answer."One said in his rushed way of speaking as he adjusted his glasses.

"I'll try to be of some help then. What is it?"He asked the green haired man.

"Yes well, it has something to do with what you've been having a student do in their private time."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow.

 **X.x.X.x.X**

 **Dun Dun Dun! Uh-oh, Blake's in trouble!**

 **My lanta I'm tired. So there it is, I hope you all enjoyed it.**

 **And how do you like that folks, my first ever RWBY OC! Now no need to be alarmed, my OC's will not have a major part in the fic. I'm very on the fence on most OC's in this fandom, but it took a lot of time and effort to come up with Lily and her team. That's right folks, team. I made a whole team.**

 **And it wasn't easy!**

 **But the one thing I was sure to do right was follow Monty's rule of color. That was actually the easy part, everything else was more difficult. I'd talk about it but that's a conversation for another time.**

 **Oh and by the way, Black Panther, go see it. Learn it, love it, and if your really feeling it, live it.**

 **Anyways, thanks for the reads, please review, it's greatly appreciated.**

 **Goodbye everyone, catch ya next update,From GhostAngel14, WAKANDA FOREVER!**


	6. Chapter 6:Avion

Chapter 6

 **I won't mince anything, some of you people must hate me. But you keep coming back. I'd ask if something was wrong with you, but I have very little room to talk in that department. Anyway, I hope everyone's doing good. I finally started my summer movie binge.**

 **Infinity War and Deadpool 2. Great stuff people, great stuff. Marvel know their audience and what to give em. Real talk.**

 **Anyways, let's move on to the reviews(I love this part):**

 **Valkyrie Elysia:It's the subtle references that make the scene no? And being outta school now, I gotta say, I never really appreciated my peace and quiet as much as I should have. Shame on me.**

 **ShatteredOnyx:Sorry to keep you waiting, I hope I can continue to keep you interested in this little story of mine. Your review is greaty appreciated friend.**

 **FeugoFox42:Technically I should be putting your name here several times. I thought reviewers like you only existed in myth and legend. But you actually took the time to go and review every chapter. I am both impressed and scared. Thank you for your reviews, it really made my day (and heart nearly stop) when I saw all your input. I'll try to make this worthwhile for you.**

 **Guest:No clue buddy, no clue at all.**

 **kyro2009:Your job, sounds interesting. Glad you liked the last chapter, and hey I did give you a warning, facepalms all around. I had to do it a few times myself and wonder what I was doing a few times haha.**

 **dipper pines 101:Is that a TFS reference. I saw the Broly movie! But anyway, I'm glad to introduce you to your unknown secret cravings...that sounded bad. I'm glad to give you a gift you didn't know...you-...oh screw it, glad you liked the chapter!**

 **With those out of the way, now we can get to what you all actually came here for. Let's getter done!(Mater from Cars. Anyone remember that movie?)**

 **Disclaimer:RWBY is owned and created by Rooster Teeth and Shadow of the Colossus is owned and made by Sony and Team ICO.**

'Normal Speech'

' _Thoughts'_

' **Reading'**

X.x.X.x.X.x.X

Last Time

" _Sorry about that, now what can I help you with old friend?"Ozpin asked politely._

" _Thank you Ozpin, you see, I have a bit of an inquiry that I tried to let go but just couldn't for the longest time. And so I've come to you for an answer." said in his rushed way of speaking as he adjusted his glasses._

" _I'll try to be of some help then. What is it?"He asked the green haired man._

" _Yes well, it has something to do with what you've been having a student do in their private time."_

 _Ozpin raised an eyebrow_.

X.x.X.x.X

 **Next Day:Afternoon Combat Class**

There were only a few times Cardin Winchester was ever really cautious to fight. Growing up with 2 older cousins made sure that he had a love for a good scrap. Hell, he came from a long line of Huntsman, fighting was in his blood!

And he was pretty damn good at it too, he's easily in the top ten strongest of the first years. His many wins in the class can prove it. So yes, Cardin Winchester can say without a shadow of a doubt that he was never one to shy from a fight.

But this however…

* **Bam***

"Gaah!"

This wasn't much of a fight.

Bouncing along the floor of the arena, Cardin slid to a halt near the very edge before he finally stopped.

Groaning he put his hand to his head and slowly sat up.

' _Okay, that one hurt._ 'He thought as he winced and shook his head to clear his blurred vision.

It's been awhile since he's been hit that hard. Come to think of it, he can't even remember when he was _ever_ hit that hard. He was also having trouble remembering his last birthday…

Wait, where was he again?

"Come on Cardin get up!"

"Don't let this guy get in your head you got this!"

"Represent man, kick his ass!"

' _Oh, right_.'He internally groaned as he listened to the cheers of his classmates.' _I'm fighting this guy._ '

Standing unstably on his feet, the big student stumbled a few steps before he bent down and picked up his two handed mace.

' _Although calling this a fight would be a little too generous,_ 'He thought with as he tightly clasped his weapon between his hands.

Especially since his opponent didn't even look like he was trying.

The half-lidded blank eyes staring at him with bored indifference both aggravated and made him uneasy.

Isn't he blind?

Shaking away the thoughts for later he instead focused on the scarred man in front of him.

Curved wrist mounted orange blades were his weapon of choice, but Cardin actually hadn't been hit by them once. Most because his opponent was content to simply wail on his with his fists. It was honestly a little insulting, but then again he was fighting a Second Year. And not just any Second Year, he was fighting a member of team CFVY; Fox Alistar. One of the strongest in his grade.

It was apparently a tradition at Beacon for the First and Second Year teams to have a small tournament against each other. The point of it for the First Year was so they could experience what it's like to fight opponents way stronger than them. It was then said First Years job to figure out a way for the best chance at victory. And the point of it for the Second Years...well they got to inflict the same pain they had to go through their First Year.

But with that being said, that was what the majority of this period had been, the First Years being absolutely pounded by the older students.

Cardin was the twelfth person fighting, all other matches ending rather quickly with the crushing defeat of one of his classmates. Only one person had been able to fight their opponent to a draw.

Cardin's eyes peered up at a figure with red hair and gold armor.

Pyrrha Frickin Nikos, the one who fought the first match of this little 'tournament'.

Needless to say, nobody was surprised. Not even her opponent. She was the sole reason they had one measly little point on the scoreboard that currently read: **1 to 11**.

Since it was a draw, both sides had gotten a point, but ever since then, the gap between the two sides had been rapidly growing. And if his match was anything to go on, then it didn't look like it would be slowing down anytime soon.

Taking a deep breath in and out, Cardin narrowed his eyes and used his irritation to give him strength. If this bastard wanted to make him angry, then he would be sure to make him pay for it.

Roaring a battle cry he charged with his mace held back for a swing.

Fox stood completely non-pulsed.

When he was close enough, he swung from his right for Fox's head, but he just tilted his head back just enough to make Cardin miss.

Growling at his failed attack, he continued forward, this time swinging from his left, but Fox lifted his wrist mounted blade and deflected the heavy swing with ease.

Oh son of a-!

His thoughts were halted when a hard knuckled fist smashed into the left side of his armor.

Wincing from the blow, Cardin withstood the pain to keep fighting.

Switching to one hand, he was able to swing his mace faster. Fat load of good that did him.

Every swing was either dodged or deflected without too much of a hassle on his opponents part.

Cardin grit his teeth and reared back for a devastating blow, before the attack even reached him Fox caught Cardin's wrist in a tight grip and squeezed. Cardin's heart pounded faster when he noticed in surprise that the armor there was actually dented in.

Fox gave a sharp jab to the bend of Cardin's elbow that made him grunt and drop his mace before giving a quick uppercut to his chin that snapped his head back.

Groggily looking back to Fox he saw him lift a leg and firmly plant the sole of his boot into his armored gut and push.

Cardin flew away from his weapon as he smacked harshly against the tiled floor.

' _Damn it_ ,'Cardin thought in pain. Now he was weaponless. His hand to hand wasn't bad but still not as good as it could be against someone like Fox. Still though, he couldn't give up. Nobody else did, so he had to keep fighting.

Sitting up slowly he rubbed his jaw as what remaining aura he had tried to repair the damage dealt to his chin.

Fox was still standing just as impassive as he had at the beginning of the fight. Though he did make a show of kicking his mace out of the ring. Cardin didn't even have it in him to be annoyed anymore.

The bastard definitely had bragging rights if he wanted them.

As he stood back to his feet he saw Fox tilt his head curiously. Must've been surprised to see him keep fighting without his weapon. Hmph, if anything he can be proud of the surprise he got from the older student.

But now was not the time to be cocky.

Putting up his fists in a way reminiscent to the way his old man showed him, the large boy glared at the Second Year.

Fox glared back.

Launching himself forward he put himself right into the First Years reach. Blinking in shock of the older boys speed, Cardin threw out a right straight that Fox dodged before throwing a left hook that made the older boy duck.

Seeing a chance, Cardin threw his right knee out to hit Fox in the chin.

The older student suddenly dropped back and caught himself on one hand before he spun and extended his leg to trip the First Year.

Stumbling back Cardin hastily put up his guard when he saw the scarred teen get up and charge for him again.

Throwing out a desperate punch, the boy was greatly unprepared when Fox dodged to the left and landed a fast one two punch to his face.

Struggling to see through his crossing vision, Cardin reared back and threw a right hook that missed over Fox's head and was rewarded for his efforts in the form of another uppercut to the chin.

Unable to think of what to do next, Cardin was suddenly assaulted but a slew of punches.

A hook to the temple, another to the cheek, a straight to the nose-they just kept coming!

Struggling on his feet, Cardin stared through unfocused vision into his opponents white eyed glare. He chuckled mirthlessly, it was actually pretty scary.

"This is payback right?"He breathed,"For what I did to Velvet?"

Fox's eyes widened in fury before he jumped and lashed out with a savage roundhouse to his ear.

Yelling in pain Cardin tumbled to the ground and layed for a few seconds before grunting in exertion.

When Fox landed, he grit his teeth in annoyance to see the boy climbing to his feet again. This Freshie just didn't know when to quit.

Standing wobbly on his feet, Cardin put his fists back up and grit his teeth against the pain that his remaining aura couldn't soothe.

"I don't care if you hate me."Fox heard Cardin say,"I don't care if your entire team hates me. What happened, happened. That's in the past now. If there's still harsh feelings then let Velvet come down here and tell me herself how much she hates me."

Fox snarled and tightened his gloved knuckles into iron hard fists.

Dashing forward, Fox appeared in front of Cardin in the blink of an eye and launched an aura infused punch to the boy's stomach.

Cardin coughed out spittle as all the air in his lungs was harshly evicted.

Cardin tried to go punch the scarred teen but was interrupted when Fox threw a quick jab to his cheek that made him stumble.

Quickly advancing, Fox caught a sloppily thrown elbow before he responded with one of his own right into Cardin's eye.

Cardin's went to cradle his eye with his hands but stopped when Fox nailed him right across the gut with his leg.

Bending over with his arms wrapped around his stomach, the First Year coughed in as he fought to catch his breath.

When he looked back up threw his one eye, Fox gave out a side kick straight into his Cardin's face that crashed him onto his back.

Groaning in pain, Cardin looked straight up at the overhead lights of the arena. A slight ringing chimed in his ear as he laid on the ground without any real intention to move.

' _It could've been worse_.'He thought tiredly.

He barely heard Miss Goodwitch call the match before Fox's hard stare stood over him.

He blinked in surprise when the dark skinned boy held out his hand for Cardin to take.

Slowly reaching his hand out he was unprepared when the Fox snatched his hand up and sat him up harshly.

Bending to his knees, Foxed looked the slightly bruised boy in the eyes.

"Just for the record,"He said, his voice quiet and sharp,"She doesn't hate you."

Cardin blinked in confusion.

"Velvet."He clarified, then sighed when Cardin looked even more confused.

"She hasn't said a bad thing about you, or ever wished for us to go and stop you from picking on her. She honestly forgave you months ago."

Cardin blinked wearily.

"But...wh-"

"Why?"Fox interrupted with a glare."Because that's just the way she is. The only thing Velvet actually hates is hatred itself. The girl can't hold a grudge to save her life."He snarled.

Taking a deep breath, the older boy calmed his rising anger before he did something rash, like socking this punk in his face.

"So I hope you understand just what kind of person you've been making miserable."Fox said with a scowl.

Cardin met his look with a complicated expression, as if unsure what to think or say. What could he say? Sorry for treating your friend like the animal she clearly is? After the beating he just took that probably wouldn't be a good idea. Still, the idea that Velvet actually didn't hate him for all the grief he put her through made him...uncomfortable.

"Tell her,"Cardin said resoloutley,"That I don't need her kindness."

Fox snickered.

"Tell her yourself."

Wrapping Cardin's arm around his shoulders and gently standing up, the Second Year sighed.

"Man,"He lamented,"I really wish she hated your guts. I know i'm gonna get an ear-full for this later."

"Heh, serves you right,"Cardin laughed/grunted.

"I will kick your ass again."Fox stated. The way he said it made it sound more like a fact then a threat. Cardin gulped softly.

Back in the seats, Blake watched with a mix of satisfaction and sympathy, as Cardin got carried out of the ring by the older boy. Blake could honestly say, her team and team JNPR were some of the few who were actually rooting for Fox to win. Cardin and his team left a bad taste for her and her friends for several reasons.

Her eyes panned over to Jaune, who wore a conflicted look on his face to see Cardin beaten so harshly.

A part of her sided with him, but that part was mostly overshadowed by the sheer satisfaction she felt at watching him get trashed by the older student. He never did anything to her, but she heard about how he usually conducted himself and what he did to other students he thought were weaker than him. It wasn't a good resume.

But ever since the trip to Forever Fall, team CRDL had quieted down and had generally kept to themselves. She's not sure what happened but the way she saw Ruby glance between Jaune and Cardin lead her to believe that something had happened between the two.

What it was, she didn't think it her place to ask.

"And the score is now 12 to 1 in the Second Years favor,"Miss Goodwitch announced, muched to the disappointment of the First Years.

Looking up Miss Goodwitch let her sharp eyes roam over the defeated looking freshman in disappointment.

"I feel that I need to remind you all what the purpose of this exercise is. There will come a time in your Huntsman and Huntress careers that you will come across a threat that your not prepared for. Whether it be man or Grimm, you will eventually face an opponent that will be well above you in skill, strength, speed, or all of the above."

She fought the urge to message her brow for the headache that was threatening to build up as she lightly glared at the row of First Years.

"The point of this endeavour is to see if you're capable of adapting to the situation of facing a greater threat than your prepared for,"She lectured,"But from the matches i've seen, most of you are charging in or standing still, not even trying to read the situation and adapt for it."

She sighed and let some of her irritation flow out of her body.

"This whole thing is pointless unless you can not at least try to adapt. Remember this lesson students; the greatest Huntsman don't need weapons or semblances to fight, they only need their mind and their cunning intellect."

Just like she expected, her words only touched a few people, and went over the rests head.

' _First Years…_ 'Glynda thought tiredly.' _Still just children._ '

"Alright, we'll continue on."The blonde witch said as she held up her tablet to randomize a new match.

After a few seconds, the tablet chimed as a new match was created.

"For the First Years: Blake Belladonna."Miss Goodwitch announced.

Blake blinked in surprise. Her heart started to pick up as she found herself a little intimidated from the previous matches fought. It'd be a tough fight, but she wasn't exactly expected to win. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"And for the Second Years: Lily Tigresa."

Blake blinked.

' _...wait...what?!'_

She looked over to the other side of the stands where the second years sat and saw a lone girl stand up.

A girl with orange hair and a rainbow themed dress.

'... _This has to be a joke._ 'Blake thought as Lily turned in her direction and smiled challengingly. No actually the smile looks more evil than anything.

' _Oum must be laughing at me again,_ 'Blake thought tiredly.

"Miss Belladonna!"

Blake looked back down to the arena and froze.

Cold dark emerald eyes tore into her soul, a killing intent so powerful ravaged her heart and dreams as they bore into her very being and found her lacking.

"We're waiting on you Miss Belladonna."Miss Goodwitch said calmly. But if anyone looked close enough they could see the threat in her eyes, the promise of pain.

And suddenly Blake remembered yesterday all over again.

The crown, the dress, the wand... _ **the sparkles**_ …!

Forcing back the shiver that wanted to travel up and down her back, Blake simply nodded and all but sprinted to the locker rooms.

Screeching to a halt in front of her Locker, Blake leaned on the cool metal surface and breathed heavily as the fear finally started to release itself on her heart.

' _Never go to the teachers lounge, never go to the teachers lounge,_ 'She repeated as she mechanically opened her locker, collected her weapon and attached it onto her back.

With her equipment gained she turned and walked out to the arena to her waiting opennet.

Lily stood across from her, a confident smile on her face as she eyed Blake in a way that made her feel like she was being stalked by a predator.

' _This is not gonna be fun_ ,'Blake reasoned.

"Alright, the combatants are set,"Miss Goodwitch said once Blake arrived."Normal rules apply, ten minutes on the clock, match will start in fifteen seconds."

Inputting the last of the data, the two girls aura bars filled the screen and a clock started to count down.

"Let's have a good fight."Lily called as she backed up from Blake.

Blake simply nodded and steeled herself for the coming fight. Despite her worry, Blake allowed herself to feel a little excitement for the match. It's not everyday she got to fight a Second Year. It might actually be interesting. Her heart pounded against her chest as she watched countdown finish. 3, 2, 1…

"Begin!"

Blake drew her sword and rushed her opponent.

If Lily was surprised by her lunge than she didn't show it, she simply glared and tensed herself.

When Blake was close enough she made to swing for Lily's side, but in a move that she almost didn't see, Blake was forced to retreat as Lily reached behind her and swung.

Jumping back, Blake heard a solid smack against the arena floor where she was just standing. Looking up, Blake's eyes widened slightly when she saw dangling from Lily's hand was a white three sectioned staff.

Lily grabbed her weapon by the ends of the middle section and bent her knees. Eyes on Blake, she started to slowly twirl the weapon around her, her body seemingly flowing with her spinning as she demonstrated her weapon. Then the twirling got faster.

And faster.

And faster.

And faster.

Before it looked like she was just juggling a blur in her hands. And not once did she break eye contact with Blake.

But as quick as she was going, she suddenly stopped and bent the weapon around her shoulders, holding the ends tightly in her hands.

The entire room was silent with the amazing display of skill on the older girls part.

Blake herself was slightly stunned and a little more intimidated.

"SHOW OFF!"An accented male voice called from the stands.

Lily's lips quirked upward in a small smirk.

Blake narrowed her eyes in thought.

' _Okay, this changes things a little. I have to poke around a bit, see where her defense is weakest._ '

With that thought, Blake pulled her sword from her bladed sheath and charged.

Twirling the staff around her body, Lily used the momentum to swing one of the ends for Blakes shoulder. The hit connected only for Blake to flip over her as the clone took the hit.

While in mid air, Blake flipped her sheath into a reverse grip, then when she landed behind Lily she turned and lashed out with her sword then her sheath.

Lily blocked the sword and backstepped from the sheath as Blake continued to push and try to get passed her defenses. Lily smiled.

Grabbing the two end pieces of her weapon, Lily parried the sword and swung for Blake's temple only to have it blocked by the sheath.

Pressing the advantage, Lily jabbed one end into Blake's rib before swinging for her head, which Blake ducked before lashing out with a kick that made Lily jump back.

Ignoring the pain in her side as her aura took care of whatever damage was there, Blake eyed Lily warily.

' _So it can be used for close quarters too,_ 'Blake surmised.' _And from the length I can tell it's good for long range as well. She's got herself an effective weapon._ '

' _But then again…_ 'She smiled. ' _So do I._ '

Launching forward with her clone, Blake pulled back her sheath to strike.

Lily blocked with the middle section before swinging with an end piece and hitting a clone that Blake left behind.

Turning around, Lily crossed the end pieces above her head to block the overhead strike before she jumped back to get more space.

That nearly cost her.

Eyes widening, Lily threw herself to the floor as a black blur swung over her head. Rolling back into a standing position, Lily blinked as she saw Blake holding her sword, which folded on itself and was now attached to a long ribbon. She made her own kusarigama.

' _Now that's impressive_ ,'Lily thought before ducking another swing.

Standing up, she blocked with the middle section as Blake came in with a kick to her face.

' _And she's fast, looks like this isn't gonna be easy_ ,'Lily realised.

Landing on her feet, Blake twirled her kusarigama around her sides before spinning and swung for her opponents leg, but Lily jumped and drop kicked her away a few feet.

Blake had a second to recompose herself before Lily was upon her again. Wielding the two end pieces in her hands, she came in with a fast flurry of strikes that made Blake dodged and duck her attacks.

Blake grit her teeth when everytime she tried to counter, Lily would adjust her grip on her weapon to block and parry her weapon.

Pulling back her right arm, Lilly swung and hit Blake right on the cheek, disorientating her for a second, before she dropped and swept Blake's legs out from under her.

Landing on her back, Blake quickly rolled back into a stand to distance

herself from her upperclassmen.

' _She's good. Really good_.'Blake thought as she unfolded her sword and pulled her sheath back out.

Time to get serious.

Running forward, Blake launched herself into the air with the help of a clone and raised her sheath up to slice upon the crown of Lily's head.

Side stepping the attack, Lily let Blake fall in front of her before trying to strike her prone form.

Blake rolled away just as the staff hit and quickly turned around.

"Hah!"She cried as she slashed with her sword, only to have it blocked by the middle section again, shifting to the other side Blake swung with her sheath only to have Lily catch her arm and fold her weapon around her cleaver.

Blake gave a few tugs before realising that she was stuck.

"What now?"Lily teased with a smile.

Blake narrowed her eyes. Letting go of her sheath, Blake slipped her arm out and spun around to get behind her, Blake landed a kick to Lily's ribs before launching away with a clone, just in time as Lily spun and twirled her staff around her in a wide circle.

"Not bad,"Lily nodded,"But you just got rid of a part of your weapon. Are you confident enough to keep trying with only one sword?"

Blake simply gripped her hands around the handle of her remaining weapon and raised it in challenge.

Lily shrugged. "If you say so."

Lily bent her weapon by both ends as it loosely resembled a Z and started to creep forward.

Blake stayed put, she would let her get close enough before she would strike. Since she lost her cleaver, she didn't have as many attack options anymore. She would have to play defense for a bit, then try to counter if she could.

When Lily was close enough, she let her weapon slack a little before swinging from Blake's cheek. Ducking under the swing, Blake advanced with a few rapid slashes that Lily was quick to defend against.

"Go Blake!" Ruby cheered from her spot in the stands.

"Show em what you got partner!"Yang joined in, pumping her fists in excitement.

"Represent team RWBY!"Weiss called.

Ruby and Yang looked at her in astonishment.

"What?"Weiss asked self-consciously."She's my teammate too, I can cheer if I want."

Ruby and Yang looked at each other before smiling widely and then slinking to either side of Weiss.

"Blake, even Weiss is cheering for you!"Ruby yelled in amazement.

"It's a once in a lifetime thing so you better win!"Yang added.

"You guys are the worst."Weiss grumbled with a light blush on her porcelain cheeks.

"You know you love us."Yang laughed.

Blake slid under a wide swing before turning and unloading a few bullets from her gun. Lily spun her staff deflecting the bullets before advancing on Blake twirling her weapon rapidly around herself.

Blake backtracked as fast as she could to avoid getting hit with the ends as they spun so quickly. Blake had learned just how much they hurt due to a few missed blocks on her part.

Taking a glance to the aura bars above, Blake saw that she was almost in the yellow and that Lily was just a little better than her.

Lily stole her attention a second later with a side kick to her chest that made her cough and skid back a few feet.

"Eyes on me Blake,"Lily scolded lightly,"Don't get too distracted by the aura bar."

Blake winced as she rubbed her chest as her aura worked to soothe the pain.

"Noted."She whispered as she felt a bead of sweat start to roll down her head.

Lily nodded before she shot forward in a sprint.

Eyes going wide, Blake clasped her weapon in both hands before lunging forward in a stab.

Lily smirked.

In almost slow motion Lily pulled her staff taut and blocked the attack before she folded her weapon around Blake's sword tightly.

"Tutt tutt Blake,"Lily teased,"Didn't you learn anything from last time?"

Lily blinked when Blake smiled challengingly.

"I did."

Before Lily could react Blake made a clone that shot her up and over Lily, and with a fierce tug, took Lily's weapon right out of her hands.

Looking down at her hands in astonishment, Lily gaped to see that she had actually been disarmed.

Turning around she saw Blake land across the arena having her weapon still wrapped around her blade.

A cheer went up across the First Year side of the stands.

Ruby:GO BLAKE!

Yang:YEAH, THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE!

Weiss:Splendid work!

Jaune:Awesome! Keep it up!

Pyrrha:Stay on guard!

Ren:Good job Blake!

Nora:WOOO! GET US ANOTHER POINT!

Blake took a second to relish in the cheers her peers and classmates washed her in as she discarded Lily's weapon to the side and held her sword at the ready.

Blake blinked in surprise to see Lily clapping with a good natured smile.

"That pretty good Blake."She complimented."Did you plan that out?"

"Kinda,"Blake admitted,"The idea came after you took away my sheath. I just didn't know how to implement it."

Lily nodded,"Well your welcome for giving you the opening."

Blake smiled then blinked in confusion as Lily just stood in place.

"Are you gonna keep going?"Blake asked cautiously.

"Hm? OH! Yeah I'll keep going!"Lily said with a bright smile.

"You sure?"Blake said with a raised eyebrow.

"What, don't think I still have a chance?"Lily said jokingly while leaning forward with her hands on her hips.

Blake shook her head,"No it's not that its-"

"Just a heads up!"Lily interrupted."We're on the last two minutes, so I suggest you make a decision quickly."

A glance at the clock proved that yes, the time was close to running out, and Lily was actually still doing better in terms of aura. She had been using a lot of clones and that kick to the chest must've been aura infused because she was now in the yellow with only half of her aura now.

If she actually wanted a chance of winning, she needed to attack now.

A part of her felt guilty that she would be attacking an unarmed opponent but seeing how her opponent was a Second Year, she decided that it wouldn't be that bad.

Gripping her sword, Blake launched herself forward with her clone and held her sword back for a finishing slash to the abdomen.

Now in the heat of a fight, Blake's heart was pounding in her ears and she was a little tired from the brief but challenging match. So maybe she could be excused for not noticing a few things.

Like how the Second Years didn't even look worried with the loss of Lily's weapon. Or how Lily simply stood in place without even bothering to put her guard up.

These things didn't seem important, but in actuality...she should've paid more attention.

Finally within striking distance Blake swung with a finishing yell escaping her lips.

 ***Clang***

The first years stopped cheering.

Ruby's jaw hit the floor, Yang's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, Weiss gasped in shock.

And Blake started in surprise.

Just as Blake had struck Lily had stood completely still, her arms held behind her back as she rocked on the heels of her feet calmly.

She had done absolutely nothing to block the attack.

Yet somehow, Blake found her blade stopped by a circular red crystalline barrier that covered Lily's entire upper half.

"Surprised?"Lily asked smugly.

Blake numbly nodded her head and Lily giggled again.

Suddenly the barrier shattered outward and Blake was sent flying back from the force of the barrier breaking.

Blake hissed in pain as she realised that some of the shards actually nicked a good bit of her aura, pushing her into the lower yellow.

Looking up at Lily revealed that the orange haired girl had taken to having the shards circle around her in a globe like shield.

"I hope you don't mind me using my semblance."Lily said innocently.

Blake grit her teeth at the girl's tone.

' _She was holding back._ 'Blake realised grimly. Now with the clock running down to about a minute and fifteen seconds, Blake was forced to make a decision;either continue the fight and try to work around Lily's strange semblance, or concede the match before things got complicated.

Blake pondered this for a few seconds before sighing begrudgingly.

"I surrender."She called to miss Goodwitch.

The blonde instructor nodded and stopped the timer on the clock.

"And the match goes to Lily Tigresa. The score is now **1 to 13** in favor of the Second Years."

The Second Years clapped and celebrated while the First Years slumped and groaned in defeat.

Lily made the shards floating around her disappear into thin air before walking over to Blake.

Smiling good naturedly she held out her hand,"That was a good match Blake. You put up a great fight."

Blake shrugged with a small smile and took the older girl's hand.

"Good fight. You were pretty amazing yourself. You're very skilled with your weapon."

Lily waved off the compliment with a light blush,"Oh stop you're making me shy."

Blake laughed.

"Very good match you two,"Miss Goodwitch said as she approached the two student."Well done on your victory miss Tigressa."

"Thank you professor."Lily said with a small bow.

The teacher turned to Blake.

"You did very well yourself miss Belladonna. You showed good analytical thinking and adapted well. I'm glad the point of the lesson was reached."

Blake blinked in surprise at being congratulated.

"Uh, thank you, miss Goodwitch."

The deputy headmistress nodded before turning to the class.

"And with that, I think that was a good way to wrap up the class. The final score in the First Years vs the Second Years is **13 to 1** Second Years. Well done to the winners, and well fought to everyone."

At that, both sides clapped and exchanged congrats to one another.

"Class dismissed."

And with that, miss Goodwitch turned to leave, entering notes into her scroll for next class.

All the students stood up and started to make their way to the exits.

Blake was looking in the stands for her team when she felt Lily's hand on her shoulder and turned to look the older girl in her purple eyes.

"Hey, if your not busy, wanna hang out in the garden? I'm all done with classes today but the others still have other stuff going on."

Blake was about to answer when she suddenly remembered something.

"Sorry but I have to meet with the Ozpin in a little bit."Blake apologised.

Lily tilted her head curiously,"Headmaster Ozpin? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah it's fine, we just like to have talks about things every now and then."

Nodding her head Lily smiled good naturedly. "I understand, maybe some other time then."

"Yeah."Blake smiles back.

"Alright, see ya later then."Lily said as she walked away.

"Bye."Blake waved.

When the older girl left, Blake took out her scroll and sent a quick message to Ozpin saying she was done with class and was ready to come over when he was ready.

It didn't take long for him to respond saying he was ready.

Nodding her head, Blake set off to the headmaster's office...but she should probably tell her team first. Just in case they tried to 'stealthily' follow her again.

 **X.x.X.x.X**

Ozpin set out a tray of white mistrilian cheese and spicy vacuean crackers with some grapes and carrot sticks. A small pool of dressing was put to the side.

He grabbed a picture of ice water from the his mini fridge and put it next to the tray.

Setting the picture down next to the tray he was sure to place a stack of styrofoam cups next to it as well.

Just as he was about to sit down for a second, he suddenly stopped.

' _Drat. Napkins._ 'He thought in exasperation.

Looking around his office he sighed when he realised he didn't have any. One would think that with all the coffee he drunk he would have a few spills and would in turn have some at hand.

So he begrudgingly went to his bathroom and simply pulled a few paper towels to use.

Once that was done, he sat down in his chair with a relieved sigh.

Now to wait.

…

…

…

Patience was a virtue.

Rubbing a hand down his face, Ozpin contemplated the meeting he was having with Blake.

' _I'm putting an awful lot of faith in this. Is this really what I should be doing? Too much is at stake if this goes wrong._ '

But her words stuck with him.

' _By whatever means necessary._ '

Her words made him feel hollow, and guilt-his old friend-had decided to sink its claws into his heart once more.

Whatever means necessary. Curse the one whomever first said those words. Such a simple small phrase, yet it carried so much meaning.

To simply let those words go unchallenged...would most certainly invite history to repeat itself.

His hand closed into a determined fist as he gazed down at his cane.

' _Never again._ '

His thoughts were halted by the chime of the elevator.

' _Ah, perfect timing,_ 'He thought as he sat up in his seat. The door opened and out stepped the black themed member of team RWBY.

"Good day miss Belladonna."Ozpin said pleasantly.

"Hello headmaster,"Blake said with an easy smile. Blake had to admit, these little sessions they had was making her a little less uneasy about being around him.

"Please have a seat,"He said gesturing to the chair,"And help yourself to some snacks."

Blake nodded and took a seat.

"Water?"He asked as he grabbed the picture to pour her a cup.

"Yes please."Blake said eagerly. Her match had left her a little thirsty.

Pouring her a cup of ice water in one of the cups he handed her the drink before sitting back and taking a sip from his mug of coffee.

Blake relished the cold water as she took a few sips, the cool liquid doing wonders for her tired body.

"So, how was classes today?"Ozpin asked.

"Everything was fine."Blake said as she reached for a cracker.

He nodded."I heard the annual bout between the First and Second Years was today, how did that go?"

Blake groaned.

"We lost. Badly."She took a bite of her cracker."It was actually a little embarrassing."

Ozpin chuckled lightly as he picked up a few grapes and plopped them into his mouth.

"Yes well, the Second Years have considerable more experience so it's to be expected. However, this year was actually a lot better for the First Years if the data Glynda sent me is correct."

Blake stared in surprise.

"It is?"

"Oh yes, usually the losing streak is a lot bigger, but it seems the First Years were more of a challenge than previous ones."

"Huh."Blake said in astonishment. She would have to tell her team later, that would hopefully make them feel better about the crushing defeat.

"Indeed. But we can discuss that later, for now I want to know, how's your progress in the book?"

Blake wiped her mouth with the paper towels before answering.

"I finished chapter five yesterday, I didn't start six yet."

Ozpin shook his head.

"I cannot express how impressed I am with your progress in this book. You must have a lot of questions in all that you've read."

"Yeah,"She agreed."A lot has happened. I don't even know where to begin."

"Well, why don't you take a moment and think of the things that stood out to you the most and we'll go from there."

Biting her lip in thought, Blake tried to recall all the most important things in the book she had read so far.

"Well…"She began.

"Yes?"Ozpin said patiently.

"Something I really liked was when we saw how he met Mono."

Ozpin chuckled, recalling the scene in particular.

"Ah yes, the meeting that changed everything in both their lives."

"Yeah,"Blake agreed,"I like the background it's giving about the two. It's simultaneously building the world and their romance at the same time. All we know in the beginning is that he loved her, and we never really understood why, so I appreciate seeing how they came to be."

Ozpin took a second to absorb her reasoning before responding.

"I agree. The romance elements in the book offer a different way of seeing the main couple come together. Though it is through a tragic lense since we know from the very beginning that Mono has passed."

Blake felt her heart tweak at the reminder that Mono was actually dead.

"But she might come back!"Blake chimed.

Ozpin simply smiled mysteriously.

"Maybe."

Blake wasn't so sure she liked that answer so she just decided to move on.

"Another thing that stuck out to me was in the middle of chapter four. When Wander dreams about the colossus he slayed."

"Mmm,"Ozpin nodded."Very interesting that part. I noted that he seemed to have taken on the persona of the colossus he was in at the time."

"Yes!"Blake exclaimed."I noticed that too. It was so weird, how could he possibly know what they were thinking? I thought maybe it was just part of his dream but it seemed too vivid."

"So you think that he gained their memories?"  
"I don't know, maybe?"Blake shrugged."If that was the case, shouldn't that be happening with every colossus he killed? So far it's only happened with two."

Ozpin laughed lightly.

"Are you sure you want to know now? If we delve deeper into the topic i'm afraid I might spoil something."

Blake bristled in indignation,"Never mind moving on!"

Ozpin laughed again. And soon after Blake joined in.

"Anything else you want to discuss?"He said after he finished laughing.

Blake shuffled a little in her seat as she thought about it.

"There was one more thing."

Ozpin waited for her to continue.

"When Wander broke his arm, and Agro led him out to that stone pillar…"

Blake looked at Ozpin dead in the eye.

"What was that vision he had?"

Ozpin stared back for a few seconds before he smiled slightly.

"I was hoping you would ask that."

Leaning back in his seat, Ozpin let himself get comfy in his chair.

"What are you most curious about?"

Blake bit the inside of her cheek as she thought.

"What was the overall point of it? Why did he have that dream?"

"Why indeed."Ozpin pondered."Maybe to give him an extra push to fight the new colossus he had to face. Maybe to scare him into a warning."

Ozpin stared at Blake as he finished,"Maybe to hint something to the reader."

Blake scrunched her brow and blinked in confusion,"What do you mean?"

Ozpin sat a little straighter as he began his explanation.

"We talked last time, about the morality behind bringing back the dead. Clearly, Wander has no issue with doing so. Yet it gave us pause."

"In the vision we saw what was basically a bit of a tease of what might be. Somehow, someway, Wander receives a great and terrible power. And with it, he does horrible and unspeakable things. He becomes greedy, vain, selfish, and develops a god complex."

"There has been a fight amongst philosophers for centuries; what is the heart truly made of? Does it have desires to be kind and help those around us? Or does it wish to be cruel and unforgiving, to stand for nothing but it's own happiness. The book I think, offers a bit of insight as to what Wander's true character is. When faced with a situation in which he could literally do anything, he chose to glorify himself. This brings up the question, is the hero of the story truly as heroic as we would think?"

Blake stared at Ozpin in astonishment.

A whole new set of thinking had been brought to her and she could only sit in stunned silence for a few seconds.

"Wait,"She spoke up after a minute,"Do you mean to say that Wander is actually the antagonist in the story?"

Ozpin shook his head,"I wouldn't go that far. All I mean is, I think we were too quick to judge him. We as Huntsman can obviously connect with someone who slays monsters, so we immediately label them as a good person-"

"But not all Huntsman are good people."Blake interrupted.

Ozpin didn't seem to mind, of anything he was glad that she chimed in and offered a rebuttal.

"You sound like you know this first hand."He stated.

Blake shrugged.

"There were some incidents in the past, back when I was younger. Some Huntsman were hired to break up a protest the white fang had set up outside a dust factory. It wasn't pretty."

"I can imagine."Ozpin said with a frown. Huntsman were trained to fight monsters much bigger and stronger than any human or faunus, so for them to apply that training against civilians...the thought made Ozpin's insides simmer with anger.

"But continuing with my point, I think Wander was given the title hero too soon. I simply believe he's a man following his passions and ambitions."

"But can't that person still be a hero?"Blake asked.

"Possibly,"Ozpin answered,"But one must consider, if a hero is only a hero for themselves, then what would be the point of saving and helping others? What would they care if others are hurt so long as they accomplish their goal. Could this person truly be counted as a real hero?"

Blake was put into silence again. She retreated in on herself to think about the question.

A hero who worked only for themselves and didn't care who they hurt so long as they got what they wanted.

Blake's mind came to a slow halt as a single thought came to her.

"Adam."She whispered.

Ozpin watched her closely.

"This sounds like Adam."She said louder this time. She looked Ozpin in the eyes as a few things started to connect to her. He gave her the book the day after he spoke with her about her resolution, and has wanted to talk with her about it ever since...

"Headmaster,"She said slowly,"Why did you give me that book?"

Ozpin remained perfectly calm as he stared back into Blake's amber eyes.

"You'll have to keep reading to find out."Was all he said.

He could tell by the look in her eyes that Blake wanted to press the issue but she knew that she wouldn't find anything from him, at least not now.

Instead, Blake silently stood up and walked to the door.

She paused just as she was about to push the button for the elevator.

"Are you trying to change my mind?"She asked softly.

She waited for a response, but she was rewarded with silence.

So she simply pushed the button and got onto the elevator.

Ozpin listened to the elevator descend and sighed quietly.

' _...I was right. This is what needs to happen._ 'He thought dejectedly.' _For now, this may seem like the means to an end. But if all goes as I hope it does,_ "he turned and looked out the window to see Blake walking back to the dorms.

' _Then this will help to change things for the better._ '

 **X.x.X.x.X**

 **Later That Night**

It was nine o'clock at night, her team had decided to turn in early, and like many other nights, she was still awake.

In her sleeping yukata Blake sat against the headboard as the thick black book she had been reading for the past few days sat on her lap, a small candle to provide reading light was placed on the desk to her right.

Normally Blake would be digging deeply into the story, maybe even finish the chapter by now. But tonight was different.

As she stared at the book, she couldn't help but wonder just what about it Ozpin wanted her to see. It was just a book, granted a very good book, but a book nonetheless.

What did it have to do with Adam? What did it have to do with her?

Running her hands along the hardcover book Blake shook her head and frowned in confusion.

If she wanted to understand more, she had to keep reading.

She opened up to her last saved page and began reading.

 **Chapter 6: Avion**

 _ **The early morning sun brought a warmth to his skin that made him feel excited and hyper. So it was no surprise that he had breezed through his morning chores with all the swiftness only a child could muster. And once he was done, he hightailed it out of his home and eventually out of the village into the forest.**_

 _ **After all, he had a promise to keep.**_

' _Oh yeah, he promised he would go back to see her!_ 'Blake thought giddily. She could already imagine how cute their interactions would be.

 _ **When he arrived at the small hut he was careful to see if the witch had left already. When he noticed the absence of the basket he was sure he was safe.**_

 _ **With that out of the way he walked right over to the door, and pushed it right open, as if he owned the place himself.**_

Blake had to roll her eyes. Children, oh so young and rude.

 _ **He saw her immediately, sitting on her sleeping mat. She was playfully bouncing her doll between her hands, making the little toy dance and twirl to a song only she knew.**_

 _ **When Mono noticed the light of the open door flooding the room she looked behind her and saw him.**_

Blake's toes curled in anticipation.

 _ **At first she was surprised, probably not believing it was really him. That quickly melted to the happiest and brightest smile he had ever seen in his life.**_

 _ **Before he could even say something, she leapt up from her spot on the mat and all but lunged onto him in a tight hug.**_

' _Oh I can't do this._ 'Blake thought as her heart was pounding.' _It's too sweet._ '

 _ **His eyes widened as he felt her wrap her arms around him snugly. She nuzzled her face into his shoulder and he could hear her muffling tiny sobs that tried to escape. He could only barley make out her small voice whispering between soft cries,"Thank you. Thank you for keeping your promise."**_

' _Dang it_!'Blake thought as her eyes started to water. She had to put the book down to dry her eyes before she started crying on the pages. Whoever this author was, they were cruel. Making a scene this sweet and beautiful should be a crime! Picking up the book again, Blake steeled herself and kept reading.

 _ **Not knowing how to respond he simply raised a hand and awkwardly patted her on the back.**_

Why did boys seriously have to be so stupid?

 _ **When she finally let him go, all she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him inside the small hut.**_

" _ **Come on, let's play."She whispered excitedly.**_

 _ **He let her drag him inside and didn't even fight back when she gently pushed him onto the floor next to her sleeping mat. Once he was seated she flopped down in front of him.**_

 _ **He opened his mouth to say something but was stopped when she suddenly shoved her doll into his hands and looked at him expectantly.**_

 _ **He blinked and looked down at the toy in his hands.**_

 _ **It was just as he remembered. As haggard and dirty as the first time he ever held it. There were more braids added on the left side of it's head that made him think that the doll looked ridiculous with only half it's hair long.**_

 _ **He looked back at her to see her still staring at him.**_

" _ **What?"He blurted out.**_

 _ **She started and looked away from him.**_

 _ **Rolling his eyes he held the toy out for her to take. When she saw him trying to give it back she shook her head and pushed it back to him.**_

 _ **His brow scrunched up in confusion.**_

" _ **What am I supposed to do with this? I don't play with dolls!"He said indignantly.**_

Blake had to stop herself from facepalming. Really now? Was it so hard to just be nice to the girl? Shaking her head in exasperation Blake turned the page.

 _ **The girl shied away at his tone and he immediately started panicking when he noticed her eyes start to water.**_

' _Good._ 'Blake thought with a nod.

 _ **Gritting his teeth in embarrassment the boy took the doll by the arms and started waving her around like he saw her do earlier. He was relieved to see her smile at his actions. But he was still mad he had to play with a doll.**_

' _ **Nobody will ever find out about this!'He thought determinedly.**_

Blake smirked at his thoughts.

 _ **After playing with the small toy for about a minute he decided he was finished. He tried giving it back to her, but she simply pushed it back to him.**_

" _ **I'm done,"He said,"I don't want to play with this anymore."**_

 _ **When she still didn't take it, he sighed and put it on the floor next to him. Seeing her try to reach for it, he quickly grabbed her hand.**_

 _ **The action startled them both.**_

Blake felt her heart spike in excitement and anticipation. Please, please don't do anything stupid!

 _ **Feeling his face start to burn he looked into her surprised eyes and gulped softly. His heart raced as he thought of what to say to explain himself.**_

" _ **How about we go outside!"He blurted as he released her.**_

 _ **Mono tilted her head at his strange behavior. First he wanted to play, then he didn't. Now he wants to go outside. He was really weird.**_

Snickering quietly, Blake turned the page.

' _All boys are weird sweetheart._ '

 _ **But she was willing to go outside if that's what he wanted. So she stood up and held her hand out to help him up.**_

 _ **The boy stared at her hand before deciding he promptly did NOT want to hold her hand again and simply stood up by himself.**_

 _ **He gave the slightly hurt look he saw no mind and promptly walked out of the house. He heard her hurry to catch up.**_

' _...I've never had the urge to hurt a child. But Oum damn it he is really starting to push it!_ 'Blake thought sourly about the boys indifference to the girl's kindness.

 _ **When he stood in front of the small hut he was met with the sudden realisation that he told her to come out of here and didn't actually have any idea what they would do.**_

 _ **He looked behind him to see the girl watching him expectantly.**_

' _ **I have to think of something!'He thought in a panic. What was something fun they could do outside?**_

 _ **Looking around he spotted a few low hanging branches from the trees and he was suddenly struck with an idea.**_

 _ **Mono watched curiously as the boy ran over to a tree and ripped off two branches and proceeded to strip away the leaves.**_

 _ **He came back with a proud smile and held the two branches in his hands.**_

" _ **Let's have a sword fight!"He announced as he held the two branches up. This was perfect. He and the other boys had sword fights all the time and it was alway fun. So now they won't have to play with dolls.**_

Blake felt a bad feeling settle in her stomach as she imagined all that could possibly go wrong. Someone might get hurt, who knows how badly?

Blake stopped when she realised just how invested in these children she was getting.

' _I really should get out more._ 'She thought morosely.

 _ **Mono, for her part, blinked and stared at the branches as if they were completely foreign to her.**_

 _ **He frowned when she didn't react in the way he was hoping.**_

" _ **What's the matter?"He asked,"Don't you know what a sword fight is?"**_

 _ **She shook her head no, and he nearly dropped the branches in shock.**_

Blake had to laugh at this. He was being so overdramatic it was funny.

" _ **How do you not know what a sword fight is?!"He said incredulously."It's the coolest thing ever!"**_

 _ **She blinked again and continued to look at him strangely.**_

 _ **He sighed when he saw that she was completely lost on what he was talking about.**_

" _ **Look I'll show you."He said as he held out one of the branches."Take this."**_

 _ **Mono took the stick gingerly and looked at it like it was treasure.**_

" _ **Now,"He said as he held up his 'sword'."Do what I do."**_

 _ **He held the branch in both hands and bent his knees. It took her a minute before she had copied him as close as she could.**_

 _ **He nodded excitedly.**_

" _ **Good! Now, try to knock the stick out of my hand."**_

 _ **Mono just watched him intensely.**_

 _ **Realising that she's waiting for him to do something, he rolled his eyes.**_

 _ **He reared back his branch and swatted the stick from her hands.**_

 _ **Mono looked at the branch in bewilderment as if she didn't understand how it suddenly got out of her hands.**_

" _ **Like that."He said,"Now pick it up and try to do the same to mine."**_

 _ **Mono looked between the fallen branch and him a few times before she shook her head.**_

 _ **He raised his brow in confusion.**_

" _ **What? Pick it up."**_

 _ **She refused.**_

" _ **What's the matter? Don't you want to have a sword fight?"**_

 _ **She shook her head so heavily her hair waved around violently.**_

"Looks like she doesn't like violence."Blake whispered. For some reason, this made her all the more precious to Blake.

 _ **He sighed in annoyance."You are such a girl."He grumbled.**_

" _ **But I am a girl."She said quietly.**_

 _ **He started at her voice. She was so quiet he forgot she actually had one. And the way she spoke, it wasn't defensive or angry like how the other girls in his village reacted when he teased them with that insult. She said it more like she was trying to point out a simple fact to someone who might not know better. And for some reason, it made him angry.**_

" _ **I know you are!"He yelled,"I just mean that you act like one."**_

 _ **Not seemingly put off by his yelling, she responded with,"It's because I am one."**_

 _ **Again, it wasn't angry or sarcastic, just nicely said to one who made a mistake. And it ticked him off even more.**_

" _ **That doesn't mean you have to act like one!"He screamed.**_

 _ **Mono tilted her head curiously,"But what if I want to?"**_

 _ **He grit his teeth.**_

" _ **Then...then...do whatever you want I don't care!"He said with a humph as he turned his back to her.**_

 _ **They stood in silence for a few seconds before she spoke again.**_

" _ **You're acting really weird."**_

 _ **His eye twitched as he bristled in indignation.**_

Blake snickered as she fought the laugh that tried to push itself out of her. There interactions were the best!

" _ **Oh yeah?!"He said as he spun around to face her, his face twisted into a snarl."Well you're even weirder than me!"**_

Blake rolled her eyes at the childish comeback.

 _ **Mono blinked as he said this and pursed her lips in thought.**_

" _ **Then...then we're both weird."She said a smile started to come to her face.**_

 _ **He felt his anger fizzle out and die when she laughed and seemed to enjoy the fact they they were both...weird.**_

" _ **We're both weird!"She cheered.**_

 _ **As much as he wanted to argue that he was in fact normal and she was the weird one, he didn't have it in him to crush her happiness...however strange it was.**_

 _ **So he simply sighed,"Yeah...we're both weird."**_

 _ **Hearing her laugh again almost made up for that though. Almost.**_

' _That has to be my favorite interaction between the two of them so far_.'Blake thought in amusement.

 **(-)**

 **He had regained consciousness a while ago, but an intense feeling of nausea had kept him down.**

' _And now we're back to the present. Okay, let's see what happens now._ '

 **His face twisted in pain as he felt his insides scrunch and stretch, swirling around the contents of his stomach violently until he was close to actually vomiting.**

' _Too descriptive._ 'Blake thought woozily.' _Way too descriptive._ '

 **The pain was so intense, he didn't even hear the sound of another statue crumbling, or even see the four shadows that stood over his prone form and stared down upon intensely.**

' _And so another one falls_.'

 **He doesn't know how long he stays on the ground, but by the time his stomach starts to settle he opens his eyes, and he sees that the sun was starting to set.**

 **Slowly pushing himself onto his hands and knees, the young Wanderer breathed deeply as the simple action proved to be exhausting to him. He gave himself a minute before he staggered to his feet to stand unsteadily.**

 **Wiping a few drops of sweat from his forehead, he looked towards the altar and was met with a sight that caused his heart to squeeze painfully.**

 **Agro stood in front of the altar, his head bowed low as he gazed upon Mono's still form. He heard his horse neigh softly in what he could only guess was sadness as he stood over her.**

'... _oh the cruel twists of reality. Forget the happy childhood and say hello to the pain of the dead future._ 'Blake thought depressingly.

 **He strolled over to his stallion-a small limp in his walk-and placed a hand on his steeds head.**

 **Together, they stared at the girl that had changed their lives so much. The boy didn't bother to say anything, he was sure Agro was thinking along the same lines as he was.**

' _ **We're getting closer. It won't be long til I can hold you in my arms again.**_ **'He thought as he fought a tear that threatened to spill from his eye.**

Blake also had to do this.

 **Blinking away the tears, he was startled when Agro suddenly gave a worried whinny. He was about to ask what was wrong when he felt the familiar presence that haunted this temple.**

 **He turned and cast his gaze to the light that shined down from the ceiling and felt the hairs on the back of his neck start to stand as Dormin's layered voice filled the entire sanctuary.**

" **Thy next foes is…it casts a colossal shadow across a misty lake…as it soars through the skies..."**

 **His fists clenched as Dormin's voice seemed to seep deep into his mind and touch a part of his soul.**

" **To reach it is no easy task…"**

Blake's mind started to kick in as the clue rewound in her head.

' _Wait a minute...do you mean that this next colossus can fly?_ 'She thought in shock and concern.

' _Oh boy…'_

 **As Dormin's presence left the room, the young man released the breath he hadn't realised he had been holding. For some reason, as Dormin spoke, his voice and very essence felt...uncomfortably close. Normally it just seemed like Dormin spoke from a barrier beyond the realm of man, but now, it seemed like he was speaking only a few feet in front of him. He shivered in discomfort.**

Blake had to agree with how he felt.

 **As he turned to mount Agro, he was suddenly struck with how tired he was. His limbs felt heavy and his head was starting to pound. And his stomach was starting to act up again.**

 **He was met with the decision to either go and find his new opponent, or rest to reclaim some of his strength.**

 **He sighed begrudgingly when he realised that it was better to just rest for the night. The sun was already setting anyway, he couldn't even use his blade if there was no sun to help him.**

" **We'll rest for now,"He told Agro,"And start back up in the morning."**

 **He let Agro go out onto the fields to graze for a while as he went out to gather anything edible for himself.**

 **X.x.X.x**

 **In the end he had barley found anything, just a few roots and some small lizards had made up his dinner. He had gone to sleep hungry and thirsty, due to not having found any water.**

 **And that was just the beginning of the night. His sleep was troubled as well and he could barely find it in himself to keep still and not toss and turn.**

 **Meanwhile Agro witnessed all of his suffering. He watched as his master lay on the temple floor, trembling and thrashing in discomfort. Agro almost went to try and comfort him, but when he got too close, his master jolted and started clawing the air, and growling as if he was possessed.**

 **Agro backed away and watched this happen until his master fell quiet again.**

 **He didn't move for the rest of the night, even as the fire went out and a chill started to enter the temple.**

 **And Agro felt safer for it.**

 **X.x.X.x**

Blake grew worried for Wander as she read more of the chapter.

What was happening to him? And why was Agro afraid?

Blake bit her lip in anxiousness as she kept reading.

 **When the morning came, the young Wanderer barely felt any better then last night.**

 **His head had stopped hurting, but he was still fatigued and slightly sick to his stomach. So he simply slept until he felt he was well enough to go back out.**

 **And sleep he did. For nearly the entire day he slept and didn't wake til it was nearly the evening. And only then did he start to feel better.**

 **Groaning as the evening sun washed across his eyes the young man slowly sat up and ran his hand down his sweat soaked face.**

 **He blinked wearily to get his eyes to focus and was caught off guard to be staring right into Agro's eyes.**

Blake couldn't help the smile on her face. Animals were awesome.

 **He blinked a few times before letting out a sigh,"Hey bud. Are you ready to go?"**

 **Agro neighed in response.**

 **Taking that as an okay, he climbed to his feet and struggled into the saddle. He sighed once he was seated on top.**

 **He must be ill, the simplest things were not taxing to him.**

Blake hoped that wasn't the case. If he was sick, it'd make it harder for him to complete his mission.

 **Leading Agro outside he drew his sword and let it catch the light of the evening sun. The light split and pointed off to the east.**

 **Lightly kicking into Agro's sides, he set them into a steady gallop.**

 **They ride through the empty field for a quite a while, the constant sound of Agro's running feet the only sound to accompany him. He slows Agro down when the land starts to narrow, and it wasn't long after that when the path thinned out as cliffs started to rise to their side.**

 **The further they went the higher the cliffs became, he had to worry when he noticed that the sun's light started to dim more from the high cliffs blocking the light.**

Remembering the last time Wander couldn't use the sword's light, Blake felt nervous for him. He almost didn't make it the last time, and she doubted he would be lucky again.

 **He pushed aside his worries when he came across a fruit tree tucked away in the shade. He nearly cried in relief when he saw the plump fruit hanging from the branches. He ate his fill of the juicy, if somewhat sour, before he early picked the tree clean of it's contents before loading it into Agro's side bag.**

 **He felt his energy return as he finally had a decent meal. Hopefully he wouldn't go hungry again like last night for a while.**

' _I still don't understand why he went crazy last night. He might've been hungry but how he acted wouldn't be just because he was hungry._ 'Blake pondered. Food for thought later.

 **He remounted Agro before they set off, with him making sure they were going the right direction whenever the sun peeked over the cliffs surrounding them.**

**Soon, they came to a halt as the path they were on lead to a lake.**

 **The boy had to sigh.**

' _ **Great. More water.**_ **'He thought in irritation.**

Blake could feel his pain. She didn't like swimming either.

 **He noticed ruins centered in the lake, almost as if what was once there had been flooded. Maybe he could use them to find the next colossus.**

 **Dropping down from the saddle, the young man turned to his companion and gave a gentle pat on his snout.**

" **Wish me luck pal."He whispered before turning to the lake.**

 **Taking a deep breath in and out, he stepped back a few paces before running forward and diving straight into the water.**

' _I feel like that was a little more dramatic than it should've been._ 'Blake deadpanned. She wasn't the biggest fan of water either but she could at least get over it easily enough.

 **The cold impacted him more than anything. Like thousands of needles being stabbed into his body, the young man almost felt his body lock up before he fought through the chills and swam to the ruins.**

 **Diving under an arch, he came into what might've been a courtyard, but was too flooded to tell. A large pillar sat in the middle of it, and he was certain he almost could see a ledge a top it. Grumbling under his breath, the boy began the arduous climb up the rock pillar.**

 **Pulling his soaked and cold body atop the structure, the young wanderer was surprised to find a walkway on top that seemed to lead to a balcony. He took a minute to warm up and get his stiff muscles back into working order. Once that was done, he jogged down the walkway and up a set of stairs that led him to the balcony, the edge cut off by a tall black gate.**

 **The wind blew softly up here, he realised as the breeze wafted over him and his wet clothes. He looked over the ruins to spot his next foe, his hand clasping the handle of his sword in case he needed to be ready.**

 **His brow scrunched in confusion as he looked over the flooded ruins but didn't see the next colossus.**

' _Why do I feel like it's gonna make some sort of entrance?_ '

 **A sudden shift in the winds caught his attention.**

' _And there it is._ '

 **The wind had been steady and constant, the soft breeze slowly drying his clothes, but a sudden burst of wind nearly pushed him off his feet. He looked up and blanched.**

 **A huge shadow circled above him, it's wings flapping in a loud beat. The giant bird flew low, and he ducked as another wild burst of air from its wings nearly blew him over. Looking up he saw the bird fly over the ruins til it perched itself a top a high pillar at the other end of he ruins.**

 **A light fog slightly distorted the image, but he confirmed that this was his target, the new colossus.**

 **Stone armor lined it's wings and tail, and more protected it's feet and head.**

 **And it's eyes...were staring directly at him.**

Blake shivered at the thought of a giant bird staring her down.

 **His stomach dropped as he locked eyes with the new behemoth creature. It's eyes as serene and blue as it's kin, the young man found himself transfixed on the giant bird. It was truly unlike any of its kind, and he almost found himself reluctant to kill this one.**

 **Almost.**

 **Steeling his nerves the boy found an opening in the fence before he slipped under it and dove into the water again.**

 **The cold wasn't as bad this time he thought as the water welcomed him back into it's freezing embrace. He took a deep breath when he resurfaced and started swimming towards his next opponent.**

Blake's eyebrow raised in skepticism.' _I don't think you'll be able to do much with you being in the water._ '

 **He swam as long as he could before he started to get tired. He only stopped when he got near the center and saw the tip of a column poking out from the water. Climbing on top, the boy breathed deeply as he glared at the giant bird that still gazed down at him impassively. He sneered as he stood when he realised that it wasn't gonna come down anytime soon from it's cozy little perch.**

 **Looks like he'll have to make the first move.**

Blake bit her lip in anticipation. The next fight was about to begin.

 **Taking out his bow and loading an arrow, the young man aimed for the fur of its wing. The arrow flew swiftly and struck the giant bird.**

 **It's eye burned like fire.**

 **He gulped.**

 **The colossus spread its wings and fell forward, the wind catching in its powerful wings as it attempted to divebomb him.**

 **Eye widening at the speed of the giant bird, the young man felt his heart spike in fear as it got closer.**

 **He barely had enough time to sling his bow around his back before he did the only thing he thought of in his panicked mind, he jumped toward it.**

Blake's eyes nearly bulged out of her skull. He what?!

 **He met the bird wing with a huff as the air was smashed out of him and his fingers clung for dear life as the bird started to ascend.**

 **Body flailing in the wind with each powerful flap of the giants wings, the young wanderer scrunched his eyes shut and grit his teeth as the wind beat against his ears and fought to stay on the colossus's wing.**

Blake felt her heart pound as she read line for line of the exciting scene.

' _Don't fall, Don't fall!_ '

 **He only got a relief once the colossus had gone into a smooth glide. Knowing he didn't have too much time he quickly drew his sword and held it up to the sunlight. In its aerial climb, it had ascended up past the shadow of the cliffs and he was able to freely use the sun.**

Blake internally cheered at his luck.

 **The sword flashed before a glowing sigil appeared on the ends of both the giant's wings. He had his targets.**

 **Climbing a top the colossus, he was quick to get up and run for the weak point before the bird tilted to it's right and he was sent flying towards the sigil faster than he wanted.**

Blake gasped softly as her heart stopped.

 **Twirling in mid air, the boy spun and stabbed his blade through the wing to stop himself from falling. The colossus screeched in pain.**

Blake sighed in relief.

 **When the giant leveled off again, he pulled out his sword and shielded his eyes from the stinging winds that threatened to push him off the giant.**

 **Gritting his teeth in annoyance, he held lifted his blade and with a snarl jabbed the blade straight through the glowing mark atop it's wing.**

 **His insides lurched when the giant dipped in its flight and bashed against the side of a cliff loudly.**

 **Flapping its wings, the colossus fought to stay in the air even though it's right wing pulsed with a searing pain.**

 **When the colossus returned to a glide, he dashed across it's back to try to reach the other wing in time.**

 **He fell forward and grabbed the beasts fur when it did a sharp spin that left him dangling from it's upside down flight.**

Blakes toes clenched and unclenched under the blanket as she kept reading. This chapter made Blake wonder how many more of the remaining colossus could fly. Cause certainly, those would be the most challenging ones.

 **Turning right side up again, he flopped onto the beasts fur and growled at the fight this one was putting up. Standing back up, nothing kept him as he ran for the sigil on it's left wing. He didn't hesitate to lift his sword and stab.**

 **The bird lurched in pain and he waited for it to stabilize before he pulled out his blade and stabbed once more.**

 **Screeching as it's wings pulsed with agony, the colossus lowered to smack it's underside in a raised pillar before it attempted to rise higher and dislodge the pest on its back.**

' _I hope he can finish this soon._ 'Blake thought as the colossus seemed to be suffering unnecessarily.

 **He cursed when he saw the colossus was still flying. There must be another sigil somewhere!**

 **Turning his back to the wind, he looked around frantically before he saw a soft flow coming from the end of its tail. There!**

 **He crawled slowly to the center of it's back, fists gripping it's hair painfully as he tried to stay on through all the spins and turns the beast did to dislodge him. He only reached the center of it's back when he realised he didn't have a safe way to reach the sigil. So he might as well stop wasting time with crawling.**

Blake narrowed her eyes. What was he planning?

 **He slowly stood up and eyed the end of the beasts tail warily. He sure hoped this worked.**

 **Gritting his teeth, he clasped his blade in both hands and made a run for the tail. Once he had a good enough start, he jumped forward, and with the wind pushing him towards his target, he practically flew.**

Turning the next page, Blake felt anticipation burning a hole in her stomach.

 **Eyes watering, he almost didn't see the sigil in time from the high winds burning his eyes. At the last second, just as he was above the weak spot, he spun and while in mid air, stabbed his blade deep into the beasts tail.**

' _I honestly can't believe even half of these work._ 'Blake thought as she shook her head in disbelief.

 **Using his sword to keep him in place, the wanderer snarled and didn't even bother to pull the blade out. Placing his hand on the end of sword, he pushed until the blade was nearly buried to the hilt, all the while hearing the beast cry out as the last real peace of itself that allowed it to fly was wounded with a sparking pain.**

 **With a snarl on his lips, he cried out and with both hands, gave one final shove that left sent a bolt of pain all across its body.**

' _Is it over?_ 'Blake wondered.

 **With a dying screech, the beast started descending, it's wings and tail seemingly giving out and going limp.**

 **He pulled the sword out of the tail before he launched himself off the dying colossus.**

 **His landing in water was painful, his back smacking painfully against the surface before being immediately gripped by it's icy presence. He opened his eyes to see the giant form of the bird colossus descend to the depths of the lake, it's body seemingly decaying the farther it sunk.**

 **His eyes widened slightly when he saw the black tendrils escape it's body and begin making their way to him.**

 **Eyes widening he attempted to swim to the surface before they reached him, but alas, he always was a bad swimmer.**

 **He braced himself and flinched when they pierced his skin and sunk into his flesh. He almost laughed as his vision started to go dark and he felt all his energy leave him.**

 **He was almost getting used to the pain.**

The next page began the new chapter.

Blake sighed and didn't bother to look at the clock. Knowing her luck, it was probably five in the morning. She laughed quietly.

Closing the book after saving her spot, she slid the book under her bed and laid down on her bunk, staring up at Yang's bed.

Her thoughts might be keeping her up for a while now, after the day she had. The talk with Ozpin had changed her outlook on the book and what she was actually doing all this for. None of it made any sense.

' _Ozpin_ ,'Blake contemplated,' _What are you trying to show me?_ '

It would be this question, that would keep her up for the next few hours.

 **X.x.X.x.X.x**

 **Aaaaaaaand done.**

 **Well that was an experience. Who'd of thought, we actually got this far. Already passed a quarter of all the colossus. It's not been an easy road people, but we've made it together!**

…

 **That's about it. I don't have a lot to say this time. God knows when the next update will be. I just hope I can continue to please the masses.**

 **Review folks, it's literally one of the only reasons i'm doing this. That and it's fun.**

 **Til next time, GhostAngel14**


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